Todd Golden on Denzel Aberdeen, 'We're not necessarily happy to see him in Kentucky blue'

Mark Pope made a splash addition in the transfer portal when he landed former Florida Gator Denzel Aberdeen. Last season, Aberdeen was a solid guard off the bench for a Florida team that went on to win a national title.

Florida coach Todd Golden went on with Jon Rothstein, and one of the discussions was about Aberdeen and his return to Florida when the Wildcats and Gators face off.

Here is what Coach Golden had to say about Aberdeen: "It's going to be different. Denzel's a great young man, and we're grateful for the time he spent in our program. He obviously helped us win a National Championship last year. He took advantage of the new world of college basketball and free agency, having a program like Kentucky that was able to give him an opportunity. From a basketball standpoint and financially, that was probably too good to turn down. He's going to have to come back into the O-Dome and get received by our fans, and our staff will be ready to compete against Denzel, and he will be ready to compete against us. He's a great young man and a good player. It's a great example of what 2025 in college basketball is like. We had to play against Riley Kugel last year at Mississippi State. He was a Gator for a few years. It's something that you're starting to see more and more. But again, Denzel is a great guy, but we're not necessarily happy to see him in Kentucky blue, but we're going to be ready to compete against him, I can promise you that."