Thomas Haugh named favorite to win National Player of the Year

The college basketball landscape has significantly changed in recent years, with NIL and the resources to give established stars more incentive than ever to remain in college.

This shift particularly benefited the Florida Gators, who return one of the nation’s most accomplished players, senior forward Thomas Haugh. After helping lead Florida to a national championship in 2025, Haugh elected to return to Gainesville rather than enter the NBA draft; he made the same choice in 2026 after his team was bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the second round.

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His most recent decision to return has already made him one of the biggest names in college basketball entering the 2026-27 season.

In a CBS Sports survey of college coaches, Haugh was the overwhelming favorite to be the best player in college basketball this season, receiving 43% of the votes. Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. finished second at 15%, while Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner received 14%.

Haugh’s talent is demonstrated beyond his individual production. An anonymous coach pointed to his ability to impact the game in virtually every area and make high-IQ basketball decisions.

“He’s proven he can perform at the highest level, and what separates him is how complete his game is. He impacts winning in so many different ways he can score, rebound, defend multiple positions, make plays for teammates and consistently makes the right basketball decisions.”

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Following an upset loss to No. 9 Iowa, the Gators retained much of the core that played alongside Haugh, currently giving the program the No. 1 spot in CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1 preseason rankings.

If the coaches’ survey holds, Haugh would become the first non-freshman to win the National Player of the Year award since Zach Edey in 2024.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire:…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/thomas-haugh-named-favorite-win-155925580.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-21 15:59:00

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