Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen sued the NCAA on Friday in hopes of gaining a fifth year of eligibility. The lawsuit, filed by attorney Jesse Panuccio, joins more than 30 court rulings across the country finding the NCAA's denial of eligibility to players who began college during the 2022-23 season and completed four seasons of play is unlawful.
Aberdeen played three seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky last year, then reenrolled at Florida earlier this year to finish his undergraduate degree. He played just 12 games in 2022-23, scoring 19 points in 41 total minutes, and had hoped for a waiver to secure another year of eligibility.
The NCAA adopted a five-year eligibility model scheduled for full implementation next fall, where the clock starts when athletes turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever comes earlier. As of last week, 79 lawsuits involving 450 plaintiffs across all sports have been filed, with 234 in men's basketball and 33 in women's basketball; 154 men's players and 26 women's players have received court relief allowing them to play.
Aberdeen started 35 games for Kentucky last season, averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds. He came off the bench at Florida the previous two years and averaged 7.7 points as a junior in 2024-25.
