Florida guard Riley Kugel plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Following a sophomore season that left many fans perplexed, Florida guard Riley Kugel plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned.

Kugel averaged 9.2 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Gators during his second season with the program, but he failed to take a step forward following a fantastic freshman campaign.

The second-year player began to lose minutes in the backcourt as the season progressed and it was unclear how big a part of Florida’s plans he would be going forward when the season ended.

The sophomore announced his intentions on Twitter.

“First, I would like to thank God for all things,” Kugel wrote. “I’m thankful to Gator Nation for nothing but love and support over these past two years. It’s been fun and I appreciate everyone who has supported me through thick and thin.

“I will always be thankful for the bond I have built with my teammates in my freshman and sophomore years. Thank you to the family who has always supported me. Thank you to all of my coaches and special thanks to Coack Korey McCray for extra support on and off the court.

“With that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal.”

Kugel averaged 23.4 minutes per game as a sophomore, but he played less than 10 minutes in February games against Alabama and Vanderbilt, then failed to reach the 20-minute mark in two of the final five games.

Whoever lands Riley Kugel will get a player with excellent upside; he was arguably Florida’s most athletic player and has good size in the backcourt at 6 foot 5, 207 pounds.

As a freshman in 2022-23, Kugel earned SEC All-Freshman honors from the league. His 12.6 points per game in SEC play were the most by a Florida freshman since Bradley Beal back in 2011-12.

Kugel finished his freshman year averaging 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.