During Todd Golden’s first spring as the Florida men’s basketball head coach, he hit the recruiting trail quickly. Having only been on the job for nearly two weeks in April 2022, he made six trips to scout six possible transfers. Five misses. The sixth? A reserved-yet-vocal 6-foot-5 Belmont freshman guard.
The youthful coach knew he needed to quickly swing around a withering UF basketball program. That meant he needed to add players who would contribute upon their arrival in Gainesville rather than freshman recruits who require a year or two to pan out. Will Richard was the perfect option to step in immediately.
“There's a lot less value in evaluating guys that may help your program three years down the road when you can legitimately change the course of your program by hosting official visits and get to that result a lot quicker,” Golden said. “Adding Will Richard to our program is more valuable than any evaluation we could have done on any prospect."
The now-39-year-old coach said those words before the now-senior Richard played a game at Florida. His evaluation was phenomenal, presenting a trend that has propelled UF to one of college basketball’s most rapid and aggressive turnarounds in recent history, from a below .500 team to a No. 1 seed in three seasons.
While once a collegiate powerhouse, Florida hadn’t made it to the Sweet Sixteen since 2017 (and still hasn’t, so don’t count any victories yet) when Golden arrived from San Francisco. In his first season, he added four transfers, with Richard being the star of the bunch. Despite a lackluster 16-17 inaugural season, Golden doubled down in 2023, making six more transfer portal additions.
“Our pitch was, 'This is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor with what we think is a top-10 program in the country. It's a newer-edge, analytically driven program,’” Golden said. “We felt really good about the fact we could talk to these guys transparently.”
His second round at the market provided more noticeable results, specifically graduate student guard Zyon Pullin and junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. The pair, hailing from UC Riverside and Iona, respectively, presented the vision of Golden’s system.
When the San Francisco coach arrived in the Sunshine State, he billed himself as a forward-thinking offensive coach who would lean on the numbers to design efficient teams. His first season didn’t present that (Florida finished 139th nationally in offensive efficiency). His second did.
As Pullin and Clayton Jr. settled into their new humid environment, UF’s offense blossomed. The two combined to average 33 points per game, and Florida rode their scoring to the 12th-best offense in the nation.
Pullin’s collegiate career came to an end in the Gators’ 2024 First Round loss to Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. After, Golden turned to the transfer market again to replace him, being more intentional about the class he put together. Florida’s first two off-season additions were rising sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State) and rising junior forward Sam Alexis (UT Chattanooga). The final addition was UF’s most notable: FAU rising senior guard Alijah Martin.
“Alijah — he could have gone anywhere… He's a winner, leader, competitor. Had Final Four experience,” Golden said “And when we were able to get him to jump in last spring, we're like, 'All right, we feel like we have a really, really tough, physical, mature backcourt that we can play with and see what happens.’”
After committing on April 21, Martin traveled up the Florida Turnpike early in the summer looking to get acclimated with his new team. It didn’t take long for the experienced, uber-physical guard to carve out a role on UF’s roster.
On September 24, Florida hosted its first media availability of the 2024-25 season. Clayton Jr., taking center stage as Florida’s leading returning scorer, quickly pointed toward Martin as what could push UF to the next level.
“Great offensive player, great defensive player, so it’s kind of like the rest of the guys, going to be a great addition for us,” he said, smirking. He knew the value of Martin’s addition.
Six months later, Clayton Jr.’s evaluation feels like an understatement. Martin is UF’s second-highest scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game, while also leading the Florida backcourt on the boards (4.6 rebounds per game). His contribution isn’t limited to the court, either. When Martin missed a stint in early February due to a hip injury, his teammates praised him for his leadership and scouting assistance from the bench.
That’s the theme of UF’s squad. Florida is guided by its trio of senior guards, each having carved a different path to Gator stardom. Richard and Clayton Jr. lead UF in most statistical categories, with the former Iona guard notching AP first-team All-American honors for his team-leading 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. Both are well-known for their guidance in the locker room, something that will pay dividends once they’re gone after this season.
When the bus departs on Thursday for Gainesville Regional Airport, it’ll be easy for Golden to have flashbacks to three years ago — those late spring afternoons hauling to and from private jets as he jumped around the country looking to build his program. At the time, he had a clear goal: make Florida a national contender.
Now that he’s accomplished that, he wants more. Behind a band of weathered — but maybe more aptly described as battle-scarred — transfers, Florida basketball will set out for a national championship.
"I feel really good having Walt, Will and Alijah out there. Being able to play through them and having their experience, and their success and their confidence, and their maturity and their leadership,” Golden said. “They've been great all year, and I don't anticipate that changing next week or the week after that."
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X @noahwhite1782.
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
