Thoughts of the Day: September 12, 2026

A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning:

Tired of waiting for the NCAA to grant a waiver, Denzel Aberdeen has filed for a temporary restraining order that will allow him a fifth year of eligibility as first reported by thefieldof68.com’s Jeff Goodman. Aberdeen, who played less than 40 minutes in 12 games his freshman season at Florida, filed for a waiver back in April so there has been more than adequate time for the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, to act. But with the season approaching and no NCAA response, Aberdeen’s attorney Jesse Panuccio elected to take it to the courts where it is very likely a Florida-friendly judge will grant the TRO.

In a statement to Goodman and thefieldof68.com, Panuccio said, “Denzel Aberdeen, a senior at Florida, should be allowed to compete as a student-athlete under the NCAA’s 5-in-5 rule. But the NCAA has announced an unwritten exception to its rule that strips Class of 2022 students from this policy, even though they competed for years against fifth-, sixth-, and sometimes seventh-year seniors who received Covid-era eligibility waivers.  The NCAA’s decision violates its contractual commitment to fairness to all student-athletes, and we have sued to vindicate Aberdeen’s rights and get him back on the court as he finishes his degree at UF.”

What makes Aberdeen’s necessity to go to the courts is the handling of Franck Kepnang, who has been granted a waiver to play a seventh season by the NCAA. Kepnang began his collegiate career at Oregon State during the COVID season (2020-21). After two years at Oregon State he transferred to Washington where he spent four years before electing in the spring to transfer to Kentucky. Kepnang, a 6-11, 255-pound native of Cameroon, has played in 111 college basketball games with career averages of 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Aberdeen, whose freshman season was 2022, spent three years with the Gators, evolving into a vital reserve off the bench who played a vital role in Florida’s run to the 2025 NCAA championship. Aberdeen transferred to Kentucky last year where he averaged 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Aberdeen entered the transfer portal immediately after the 2026 season ended, choosing to return to Florida with the full blessing of Todd Golden and the welcome of former teammates.

During the summer, Golden said, “Denzel re-enrolled in the spring. Denzel is working towards his degree. Denzel, him coming to the team didn’t bump anybody off the team, so there’s a lot of things we did at the beginning to not have any of these issues that the NCAA is claiming that they’re worried about. So, when you piece it together I can’t see any way they won’t allow him to, or at least a state judge in Florida would look at it and be like, this kid’s getting his degree. He’s within the age framework they [NCAA] just passed, that rule is already passed in DII.”

The NCAA didn’t act, so Aberdeen has taken it to the courts.

Teammates love Aberdeen, a tough, hard-nosed defender who can play all three perimeter positions. At Kentucky he was set to start on the wing when the point guard went down, so he spent the season at the point. Back at Florida he will be a combo who will spend time at the point when Boogie Fland needs a rest.

All-American Tommy Haugh was in California working out when he got a call from Aberdeen announcing his decision.

“He was, like, sitting in, like, my couch in my house,” Haugh recalled. “I was like, bro, what are you doing here? And he was like, ‘I think I'm going to come back. Like, I'm trying to come back,’ and I was like, oh, dude, that's crazy!”

Now, the case has to go before a Florida judge, but it’s a near certainty that a temporary restraining order will be filed. The NCAA will fight it in court where it is 99 percent likely it will lose. If it appeals it will have to go through Florida’s layered process that can mean several months before the appeal is heard.

Taking all that into consideration, if you wager on such things, put your money on Denzel Aberdeen playing for the Florida Gators this season in the starting lineup with Haugh, Fland, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon. Top to bottom of the roster, the Gators will be the deepest and most experienced team in the country.

NICK SABAN ON THE BIG TEN

Ever since Indiana won the national championship, the third straight won by a team from the Big Ten, the theme in the national media is the Big Ten has become college football’s dominant conference. Nick Saban isn’t buying into that narrative.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban defended the SEC, saying, “We’ve already got nine teams in the top 25. It’s not like the Big Ten where there’s three good teams at the top and then nothing.”

Three of the top six teams in the most recent Associated Press top 25 poll are from the Big Ten – No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana and No. 6 Oregon. The SEC has the No. 2 team in Georgia, No. 4 in Texas and starting with LSU (8) five more (9 Ole Miss, 10 Texas A&M, 11 Oklahoma, 12 Alabama) in the top 12. Also in the top 25 are No. 18 Tennessee and No. 23 Missouri, which beat Kansas of the Big 12 Friday night. In the Coaches poll, Florida is tied for 25^th.

The national media insists that because the Big Ten has won three national titles in a row and the SEC hasn’t had a team in the championship game since Georgia won its second straight national title in 2022, that the SEC has fallen on tough times. A season ago the SEC had five of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff, more than any other conference. Since 2006 the SEC has had 13 national champions (Alabama 6, Florida 2, LSU 2, Georgia 2, Auburn 1) to four by the Big Ten (Ohio State 2, Michigan 1, Indiana 1).

Three straight national championships doesn’t mean a better conference the way Saban sees it.

“That doesn’t mean they’re better than us, and that doesn’t mean that just because you win the championship that you have a better conference,” Saban said. “It just means you have one better team.”

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Earlier in the week LSU submitted its final 105-man roster to the Southeastern Conference. Notably missing were Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavier Harris, both of whom spent most of August in NFL training camps. LSU’s compliance with the rules eliminated the Southeastern Conference’s need to hold a vote on Thursday that could have expelled the Tigers from the SEC.

The decision by LSU was coerced by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey going to US District Court in Birmingham Monday with an amendment to a previously-filed lawsuit against LSU, its president, athletic director and Lane Kiffin. It was a calculated response. Sankey and the entire world heard Kiffin remark at halftime of its season opener with Clemson that the Tigers were four touchdowns ahead without the pros. Sankey saw that as a threat and he is not the kind of leader who takes threats lightly. So he amended his lawsuit, therefore neutralizing a ruling by a Baton Rouge court that not only allowed Wright and Harris to play for LSU this season but prevented Sankey and the SEC from retaliating with sanctions.

LSU blinked.

Had LSU refused to back down, the SEC was prepared to vote LSU off the island.  Of course, Louisiana politicians got into the act, claiming hell would have no fury like what they would unleash if LSU was kicked out of the SEC, but this was all rhetoric, exactly what you would expect from people whose jobs depend on votes from people whose loyalty exceeds their mental capabilities.

Sankey and the SEC stood firm despite the political threats, a scene reminiscent of the movie “Homefront” where Jason Statham, in the role of Phil Broker, says, “Whatever you’re thinking, rethink it.”

LSU thought. LSU crumbled.

That worked for football, but basketball season begins in a few short weeks and LSU has gambled on numerous ex-pros such as former Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis to fill out its roster. Altogether, LSU coach Will Wade has five players with eligibility issues likely to be heard in the courts. Without these players, LSU will have to play the 2026-27 season with just six scholarship players.

Will LSU try to push the envelope with these players? The football roster was loaded even before Wright and Harris tried to gain eligibility. With or without them LSU is a national championship contender. Basketball is a different story. No, LSU won’t be a national championship contender even with these players eligible but a respectable season is possible if they play. Without them LSU is doomed for life as a bottom feeder at least for the upcoming season.

Would LSU risk getting voted out of the SEC for basketball? Logic says no way, but take into account this basic truth: When it comes to logic and LSU, they can be like two ships passing in the night … a thousand miles apart.