Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland has committed to the defending NCAA champion University of Florida and head coach Todd Golden, Fland told ESPN.
Fland’s representatives, NIL agent Mike Miller and manager Julian Aiken, gave the verbal commitment along with Fland on Tuesday. Miller, a Florida alum, played two seasons for the Gators under then head coach Billy Donovan, before being selected fifth overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2000 NBA draft.
Fland, who considered turning pro, withdrew from NBA draft consideration last week. He attended the draft combine but did not complete the entire event before making his decision to return for another year of college basketball.
The 6-foot-2 guard is No. 42 in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings and was a projected second-round pick in the latest mock draft.
Fland entered the transfer portal just before the deadline in late April. There was significant buzz in the last few weeks surrounding Florida as a potential destination for Fland, sources told ESPN, as the Gators searched for another backcourt playmaker to star alongside Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee in Golden’s uptempo style of play.
A five-star recruit and McDonald’s All American in the 2024 class, Fland was one of the best freshmen in the country during the first half of last season. The New York native averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds over the first 18 games, shooting 36.5% from 3-point range. But he sustained a right hand injury in mid-January that forced him to sit out most of the rest of the season.
He injured the hand against Florida on Jan. 11 but started the next two games before shutting it down until March.
Fland returned during the NCAA tournament in a reserve role, playing an average of 17.7 minutes against Kansas, St. John’s and Texas Tech.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello contributed to this report.
