Another championship, NIL money make returning to Florida a viable option for Tommy Haugh

Tommy Haugh, Todd Golden and Alex Condon after Florida's loss to Iowa (UAA Photo)

Braylon Mullins, the freshman whose shot sent Duke packing in the East Regional championship game in Washington, DC, has decided to return to UConn for his sophomore season. Big deal? You bet, and it just might be a signal of things to come in the NBA Draft, in particular with the Florida Gators.

Mullins was a certain first rounder. He’s 6-6, a more than capable defender but more important to NBA folks, a shooter who is in 3-point range almost from the moment he steps off the bus. ESPN ranks him as the No. 17 prospect for the upcoming draft. No doubt about it, he’s walking away a guaranteed 4-year deal with all the money guaranteed.

Is he from a family of means? Who knows for sure, but three things for certain: (1) He is confident that the money will be there whenever he decides to ply his skills to the NBA; (2) he is content with the NIL money UConn is offering; and (3) he enjoys the college life and would rather be a kid at least one more year before basketball becomes as much business as it does a game.

We shouldn’t be surprised if there are a few more decisions similar to Braylon Mullins. College players have leverage now that wasn’t in play even a couple of years ago. NIL money is substantial and now it’s possible to get a fifth season of eligibility without having to go through the nerve-racking waiver process. Leaving college for the NBA, G-League or Europe is an option and no longer a necessity.

One player with substantial leverage is AJ Dybantsa, the 6-9 multi-skilled point guard/forward from BYU, considered the No. 1 prospect in the country after a scintillating freshman season where he averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 rebounds per game, has yet to declare for the draft. Even in the last few days he’s been telling the press in Utah that he and his mother are still deciding. Now, no one with a functioning brain believes Dybantsa will come back for a sophomore season at BYU, but it’s possible. BYU will pay through the nose to get him back. With point guard Robert Wright returning and Collin Chandler transferring in from Kentucky, BYU would likely be in every preseason top five if Dybantsa came back, too. Dybantsa can get paid well to play college basketball another year knowing fully well that he will still be the No. 1 player in next year’s draft. That is what is called leverage.

Not everyone has that kind of leverage, but with no guardrails on NIL money, returning to school for another year is an option. Already Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Flory Bidunga has transferred from Kansas to Louisville. The price: somewhere in the $4-5 million range. Bidunga figured to go in the bottom third of the first round or first few selections of the second, so from a financial standpoint, he made a solid business decision.

For players with star power and eligibility who fall outside the lottery projections, returning for another year of college basketball is a financially viable option. Second rounders, in particular, can potentially make more money returning to college where they will have a year to increase their draft stock. The No. 30 pick in the 2026 draft is slotted for an initial payday of $2,446,500. That comes with guaranteed money and a 4-year deal. The dropoff once the NBA Draft hits the second round is substantial. Most second round contracts are NBA rookie minimum and involve being farmed out to a G-League affiliate.

Some second rounders are fortunate, however. Last year, Florida’s Will Richard got a 4-year deal worth $8,690,000 with Golden State, first two years all guaranteed. Florida’s Chandler Parsons got a 4-year deal worth $3,700,000 with all money guaranteed when he was taken by the Houston Rockets with the eighth pick of the second round in 2011. Multi-year deals for second rounders with more than one of those years guaranteed money is the exception rather than the rule.

There is also the new 5-for-5 legislation which expects to be approved this week. UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., the No. 42 prospect on the ESPN big board, has the leverage of returning to school for a fifth season rather than stay in the NBA Draft. His performance in the NCAA Tournament was spectacular but hasn’t moved the needle into the first round. He can play another year at UConn for as much or more money than he will make in the second round. Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz is projected late second or early third. With Iowa landing Saint Mary’s center Andrew McKeever (7-1, 285) through the portal, Stirtz might elect to return for a fifth year. It’s being talked that the Purdue threesome of Braeden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer may decide to return for a year five.

A return to Florida is an option for Tommy Haugh, projected as the No. 13 NBA prospect on ESPN’s big board. ESPN’s recent mock draft has Haugh going No. 12 to the San Antonio Spurs. Over at CBS, the two more recent mocks have Haugh going No. 14 to Charlotte or No. 15 to Chicago. Last year’s No. 14 (Carter Bryant) got a 4-year deal with first year pay set at $4,083,600, while the No. 15 (Thomas Sorber) got a 4-year contract that began at $3,879,200.

Could Florida match that kind of money? Doubtful, but Haugh will easily command more than $2 million to stay at UF. It’s being whispered that $5 million of the revenue sharing money from the NCAA will go to Florida men’s basketball, which will certainly sweeten the NIL purse not just for Haugh but up and down the roster.

With Haugh, however, money doesn’t seem to be the driving force in his decision, which should come sometime between now and May 15. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if he got on stage at the Morgan Wallen concert on the 15^th to announce to the huge crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that he’s coming back to Florida?

Unfinished business could very well factor in Haugh’s decision. The Gators were the first No. 1 seed to get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament, dropping a 73-72 decision to Iowa in the second round. After watching the tournament play out, the Gators were every bit as good as any of the teams that made the Final Four.

Since the Iowa loss, Alex Condon has announced he’s returning to Florida for his senior season and Denzel Aberdeen, an important cog in the 2025 national championship, is transferring back to UF after spending last season at Kentucky. Those are two of Haugh’s running buddies and best friends. Rueben Chinyelu, the national defensive player of the year, has yet to announce his return, but consensus opinion is that he’s already got one foot back in the Florida door with an “I’m back!” announcement imminent.

A Florida starting lineup of Haugh, Condon, Chinyelu, Aberdeen and Boogie Fland with SEC sixth man of the year Urban Klavzar, the Brown brothers (Isaiah and AJ), CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd off the bench has the look of a team very capable of winning the fourth NCAA title in school history and the second in three years.

PORTAL ADDITIONS IN THE SEC

Alabama (3): Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR, from Kentucky); Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR, from Mississippi State); Cole Cloer (6-7, 190, FR, from North Carolina State)

Arkansas (2): Cooper Bowser (6-11, 210, JR, from Furman); Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO, from Georgia)

Auburn (1): Bukky Oboye (7-1, 200, RSO, from Santa Clara)

FLORIDA (1): Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, from Kentucky)

Georgia (1): Freddie Dilione (6-5, 195, JR, from Penn State)

Kentucky (2): Zoom Diallo (6-3, 190, SO, from Washington); Alex Wilkins (6-5, 175, FR, from Furman)

Mississippi State (1): RJ Johnson (6-4, 225, SO, from Kennesaw State)

Missouri (3): Jaylen Carey (6-8, 245, JR, from Tennessee); Jamier Jones (6-6, 218, FR, from Providence); Bryson Tiller (6-10, 240, SO, from Kansas)

Oklahoma (2): Khani Rooths (6-8, 205, SO, from Louisville); Tyler Hendricks (6-5, 175, RJR, from Utah Valley)

Ole Miss (3): Roman Siulepa (6-6, 220, FR, from Pittsburgh); Adam Clark (5-10, 155, JR, from Seton Hall); ND Okafor (6-9, 235, RJR, from Washington State)

South Carolina (3): Kory Mincy (6-2, 185, JR, from George Mason); Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10, 235, FR, from Wisconsin); Shane Blakeney (6-5, 175, JR, from Drexel)

Tennessee (4): Tyler Lundblade (6-5, 195, SR, from Belmont); Dai Dai Ames (6-1, 185, JR, from California); Miles Rubin (6-10, 205, JR, from Loyola Chicago); Jalan Haralson (6-7, 220, FR, from Notre Dame); Terrence Hill Jr. (6-3, 180, SO, from VCU)

Texas (4): Isaiah Johnson (6-1, 170, FR, from Colorado); David Punch (6-7, 245, SO, from TCU); Amari Evans (6-5, 220, FR, from Tennessee); Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 185, SO, from Auburn)

Texas A&M (2): PJ Hagerty (6-3, 192, JR, from Kansas State); Cade Phillips (6-9, 212, JR, from Tennessee)

Vanderbilt (3): Berke Buyutuncel (6-9, 245, JR, from Nebraska); Ace Glass (6-3, 185, FR, from Washington State); Bangot Dak (6-9, 180, JR, from Colorado)