Florida’s Thomas Haugh Sends Message After NBA Draft Decision Revealed

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 4:02 PM ET

It's been nearly three weeks since the Florida Gators won their third national championship in program history with a 65-63 victory over Houston.

In order to go all the way in college basketball, depth is needed—and that's exactly what the Gators had. Forward Thomas Haugh came off the bench and was one of their most important players on both ends of the floor.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore averaged 9.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, while shooting 34% from behind the arc per game.

Several of Haugh's teammates saw their stock rise after Florida’s championship run. Some have run out of eligibility—Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin—and are preparing for the NBA draft, while others are testing the waters. Big men Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are both going through the draft process to gather feedback.

Haugh had the same option but chose a different path—he’s skipping the draft process entirely to focus on his upcoming junior season at Florida.

The news surfaced on Thursday night after ESPN's NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony reported it.

On Friday, Haugh took to social media to announce the news himself. In the post, he sent a message to Gators fans.

"GATOR NATION LETS RUN IT BACK," Haugh wrote.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thomas Haugh (@thomas.haugh)

This is massive news for Florida head coach Todd Golden as he continues his efforts to build another championship-caliber team.

According to Givony, "Haugh will enter next season a projected 2026 first-round pick."

The 21-year-old New Oxford, Pennsylvania native was rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and had only a handful of high-major offers coming out of high school, including Georgia Tech, Illinois, Maryland, and Northwestern.

In the end, he chose to commit to his dream school, Florida, after having a Tim Tebow poster hung up in his room when he was younger.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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