ESPN: Haugh to be Florida's Next All-American

After breaking out as a sophomore for the Florida Gators, forward Thomas Haugh was predicted to be an All-American next season by Jeff Borzello in ESPN’s 10 wild predictions. 

“Haugh has started just seven games through two seasons in Gainesville, but he's poised to have a breakout junior campaign as an every-game starter for the Gators,” Borzello said. 

It is easy to see why he has gone all-in on Haugh becoming an All-American next season. His stats spiked in his second year with the Gators and should only continue to rise as he steps into the starting lineup for the 2025-26 season.

Haugh averaged career-highs in points (9.7), rebounds (6.1) and assists (2.1) per game as a sophomore in 2024-25 while receiving 24.4 minutes per game, mostly off the bench. 

From year one to year two, Haugh has made noticeable increases in his production. He became more efficient as a scorer, shooting 48.1 percent from the field after shooting 45 percent the previous season. He also leveled up as a 3-point shooter, making 33.3% of his attempts compared to 25.5% as a freshman. 

His 3-point shooting is something Borzello pointed out as well. 

“He's 6-9, can score in different ways and is more than capable of hitting three or four 3s in a game,” Borzello said. 

There are a ton of minutes to go around next season with Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard departing this offseason. While he won’t be taking Clayton Jr. or Martin’s minutes, Haugh will be stepping into Richard’s position. 

Spectators have already caught a glimpse of him in a starting role, too.

He made five straight SEC starts in February against South Carolina, Oklahoma, LSU, Georgia and Texas A&M. In those contests, he shot 53.3 percent from the field (24-for-45) and 41.2 percent from deep (7-for-17). Additionally, he was 11-for-13 from the free throw line. 

It was not just scoring for Haugh, though. He was an all-around player during this stretch. He brought down 5.8 rebounds and dished out 2.6 assists per game. The jumbo forward also recorded three blocks and eight steals. 

His best game in this five-game sample came against South Carolina. Haugh finished with 20 points on 6-for-10 shooting (3-for-6 on 3-pointers, 5-for-5 from the line), six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. 

The potential first-round pick has now earned the attention from the media and fans, but it will be up to him to follow through and improve upon last year’s numbers to prove them right.

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