High school football star turn basketball freshman CJ Ingram.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The offseason months serve their role well. Players spend time sharpening individual skills, building strength and conditioning, and a few times each week they get the chance to compete in pickup games organized by the coaches, which often become highly competitive. During this period, the staff experiments with rotations and lineups that may look solid initially but are always subject to adjustment once official fall practices begin.

Just two weeks into practice, here’s the latest Florida basketball update: the Gators’ projected 2025-26 rotation has already shifted.

Freshman CJ Ingram has made his presence felt.

Taurean Green, the former UF point guard and current assistant overseeing player development, summed it up this way:



"The light came on," Green said of Ingram, the 6-foot-6 former high school football standout.

For a college newcomer, opportunity can sometimes feel more complicated than it really is. That proved true for CJ Ingram, a late-bloomer now in just his second year focusing solely on basketball. During his first four months, he often overthought situations on the court and tried to do too much. It took time to adjust, but the timing of his breakthrough couldn’t have been better.

Recognized as one of the most versatile athletes on the roster, Ingram eventually realized that earning minutes was straightforward — just as his coaches had been reminding him: play defense, know his positioning, make smart choices, and, at times, “just getting the hell out of the way.”

It's early October, but junior guard Urban Klavzar has played himself into the first guard off the bench, while Ingram, the 6-foot-6 late-bloomer and former football standout, has caught the eye of the entire staff with his improvement in just the last few weeks. 

Ingram is battling for minutes at the wing (or "3") spot behind Haugh, who in making the move from backup "4" (and elite sixth man) to starting small forward has looked splendid. Ingram's competition entering fall was returning sophomore Isaiah Brown, who played sparingly last season, and his brother, AJ Brown, a transfer from Ohio who began his UF career by undergoing shoulder surgery in June and only was cleared for contact last month. Worth noting: The Brown brothers showed up in a big way Saturday when the white team handed the blue squad a rare defeat in a highly contentious scrimmage. Neither Isaiah nor AJ is conceding the competition for that wing spot -- not in early October -- but Ingram, the least experienced of the three, is the leader in the clubhouse.

For now. 

"I thought he'd make a huge jump by January," said UF associate head coach Korey McCray, who tutors the backcourt, said of his freshman. "He's made that jump already."

CJ Ingram has established himself as a regular on the “blue” team — the group made up of starters and primary rotation players (as opposed to the “white” team, which consists mostly of reserves still competing for minutes). He earned his spot in full-speed scrimmages by embracing coaching and doing the little things that matter.

"We have guys who are pretty much going to the NBA. They can score the ball. They can do everything. That's why they are the starters. That's why they are good at what they do," Ingram said. "So, I'm just trying to be a glue guy; to do the small things that help us win. Be a rebounder, diving on loose balls, being a defender."

For a freshman, the formula is straightforward — and Ingram is proving it works.

Take Tuesday’s scrimmage at the Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center, officiated by NCAA referees. The Blue team forced a stop and pushed the ball in transition. Fland advanced the ball to Ingram in the right corner. After a ball fake, Ingram drove into the lane but was cut off by a defender. Rather than forcing a shot, he kicked the ball out to Haugh at the top of the key. Haugh quickly swung it to the left corner, where Klavzar was waiting for a clean look at a three-pointer. Swish.

In basketball terms, it was a “hockey assist” for Ingram, but more importantly, it was the smart and unselfish play.

"Whatever I got to do to help the team win," Ingram said.

Ingram arrived at UF in May as a raw but explosive athlete the Gators had long anticipated. A standout high school quarterback under his father, former UF tight end Cornelius Ingram, he guided Hawthorne (Fla.) High to back-to-back state championships. Still, his passion was always basketball.



Following a breakout summer on the club circuit, Ingram stepped away from football before his 2024-25 senior year and transferred to Montverde (Fla.) Academy to sharpen his skills against elite competition. That Montverde team not only sent Ingram to Florida but also produced signees for Cincinnati, Creighton, Indiana, and Miami. Ingram thrived in that environment, climbing into the national top-25 rankings.

Golden isn't shy about saying he prefers building his roster with proven transfers versus recruiting high school players – given his mastery of the portal (guys named Clayton, Richard and Martin come to mind), can you blame him? – but he's also shown to be open-minded to playing freshmen if they prove trustworthy. Ask Condon and Haugh. 

Ingram's fellow freshman, roommate and new best friend has watched the transition unfold. 

"He's just figuring out what he has to do, and getting good at it … getting really good at it," guard Alex Lloyd said of Ingram. "I feel like he's going to continue to improve."

That's the plan for the new guy.

It's early in the process, but Ingram has shown he just might a freshman that "gets it," as they saying goes. 

"He's doing a great job of letting the game come to him," Golden said. "He's focused on the things that we emphasize – defending, rebounding, taking care of the ball. He's been a great team player, taking the right shots and making the right plays. In a role where you're not going to be the highest-usage guy, I think he's done a nice job of balancing when to be aggressive and when to not be. He's been impressive over the last two weeks."

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu Find his story archives here.