They say you can spot a “Salt Life” sticker on just about every car that’s seen too much sun. After SEC Tip-Off, someone might need to send one down to Gainesville for Todd Golden.
Florida’s head coach still isn’t quite over losing Denzel Aberdeen; the guard who transferred to Kentucky this offseason after playing a key role in Florida’s national championship run. His comments, both earlier this summer and again this week, made that perfectly clear.
The summer of salt
Back in the offseason, Golden said:
“Denzel’s a great young man… [He] took advantage of the new world of college basketball and free agency and had a program like Kentucky come in and… give him an opportunity, both from a basketball standpoint and financially, that was probably too good to turn down.”
That last line — “too good to turn down” — raised a few eyebrows across the SEC. And then came round two.
Round two in Birmingham
At SEC Tip-Off, Golden was asked again about Aberdeen’s decision to leave. When the reporter mentioned Aberdeen’s transparency about the meeting that changed his future, Golden cut him off:
“You said he was transparent, so I’d like to hear what he said to you.”
The exchange turned awkward as the reporter recounted Aberdeen’s story. Golden’s response was pointed:
“Because? You said he’s transparent. You’re asking.”
Eventually, Golden softened, praising Aberdeen as a “great kid” and predicting success at Kentucky, but the tone was unmistakable. He’s still stung:
"We love Denzel. Incredibly grateful for the contributions that he made to our program. He's a huge part of our national championship team. He was a guy that came with us right when we got the job. The reality is we would have loved to have Denzel back. There were other things that were more important to him than what we had to offer at this point. That's the opportunity and the right that every student-athlete has, to be able to dictate and determine what's important to them. He had played well enough to put him in a position where he was desired by a lot of programs. Every person, whether it be a coach or a player, have different things that are important to them when making decisions. Unfortunately it didn't align. We would have loved to have him back."
A wound that runs deep
There’s a reason, too. Aberdeen was a homegrown success story for Golden, a player who bought in early, developed under his watch, and blossomed into one of the SEC’s most dependable guards. Losing him to a conference rival, especially Kentucky, makes the wound that much deeper.
For Mark Pope, Aberdeen’s addition was about fit and fire. For Florida, it’s a reminder that even championship programs aren’t immune to the realities of the NIL era.
So yes, Todd Golden might be living that Salt Life. And come SEC play, there’s a very real chance Denzel Aberdeen will have a chance to return the favor, one three-pointer at a time.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion