Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen sues the NCAA in hopes of gaining a fifth year of eligibility

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen has joined a growing list of players suing the NCAA in hopes of gaining a fifth year of eligibility.

Aberdeen’s attorney, Jesse Panuccio, filed the lawsuit Friday in Gainesville. His motion notes that more than 30 courts across the country have ruled that the NCAA’s “arbitrary decision” against student-athletes who began college careers during the 2022-23 season and completed four seasons of eligibility is “unlawful.”

“The NCAA’s refusal to honor its current eligibility framework breaches its contract with UF, which is intended to benefit student-athletes like Aberdeen,” the suit said.

The NCAA’s move to a five-year, age-based eligibility model has led to a series of court fights across the country.

Aberdeen played three seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky last year. He reenrolled at Florida earlier this year in hopes of finishing his undergraduate degree. He has worked out and practiced with the Gators all summer.

He initially planned to convince the NCAA that his freshman year in Gainesville should be considered a redshirt season. The 6-foot-5 Orlando native played just 12 games in 2022-23, scoring 19 points in 41 total minutes. He had hoped to get a waiver from the NCAA to secure another year of eligibility.

But the NCAA has since adopted the five-year eligibility model, which is scheduled to be fully implemented next fall, that will allow players to have five years of eligibility with the clock starting when athletes turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever is earlier.

That change quickly led to lawsuits from four-year players in the high school class of 2022, like Aberdeen.

As of last week, the NCAA said there have been 79 lawsuits with a total of 450 plaintiffs across all sports involved in litigation tied to the five-year rule, with 234 of those coming in men’s basketball and 33 in women’s basketball. Of that group, 154 men’s players and 26 women’s players have received some type of relief from the courts allowing them to play while the rest are currently ineligible.

If granted a temporary restraining order, Aberdeen would slide into a starting spot to replace Xaivian Lee.

The Gators already are the betting favorite — and likely to be ranked No. 1 in preseason polls — to win it all in 2027. Coach Todd Golden retained most of last year’s roster, most notably big men Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu.

Aberdeen started 35 games for Kentucky last season, averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds. He came off the bench the previous two years at Florida and averaged 7.7 points as a junior in 2024-25.

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FILE - Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen shoots a free throw during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi State, Feb. 11, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in a clump of scrubby pines was scheduled for a bond hearing Thursday.

Michael Comer, 25, has been charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk in connection with the disappearance and rescue of his son, Koah, who survived and is expected to make a full recovery. Comer has been in custody in Lexington County since Monday, when his son was reported missing.

Koah, who was found by rescuers after about 24 hours, was released from a hospital Tuesday night, Sheriff Jay Koon said.

John Comer said he’d opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday after Michael Comer said they needed a place to stay. On Wednesday, he showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighbor's property where rescuers uncovered the child.

“I cannot imagine how somebody could come to the point that that would be the right thing to do, or the thing to do at all,” John Comer told the AP.

Authorities haven’t revealed anything about Comer’s motive. He was sentenced in October to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy’s mother.

Koah’s parents “have had some situations,” the sheriff said.

“Children,” he said, “sometimes get caught in the middle.”

Dozens of first responders scoured the countryside for the boy with reddish blond hair. After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below, the sheriff said.

The boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel that was wrapped around the crate below ground, he said.

Koah was soon freed and “clinging to life,” the sheriff told reporters.

Breed reported from Wake Forest, North Carolina, and McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Ed White in Detroit, Michael R. Sisak in New York and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed.

John Comer, the grandfather of 11-month-old Koah Sharp, shows the area where his grandson was found buried alive near his home in Leesville, S.C., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Amber Hammond shows a video of her great-nephew, 11-month-old Koah Sharp, on the porch at her home in West Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Amber Hammond shows a photo of her great-nephew, 11-month-old Koah Sharp, and her nephew, Michael Comer, at her home in West Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)