
Freshman wing CJ Ingram jumped into the top 25 among national prospects with an eye-popping 2024 on the summer circuit.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On April 7, Alex Lloyd was back home in Miami, watching from his living room as Florida erased a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Houston and capture the national championship. Lloyd, a talented combo guard who had signed with the Gators the previous fall, turned to his parents and smiled. "I wish I'd gone there earlier," he said.
Meanwhile, fellow freshman CJ Ingram had a front-row view of the moment. He was seated behind the UF bench at the Alamodome in San Antonio, alongside his mother, as orange and blue confetti rained down.
"It was surreal," Ingram recalled. "I was about to graduate and it felt like everything was happening so fast. Like it was go-time. It made it all feel real. It was coming." Now, five months later…
It’s here. They’re here.
With official preseason practice just two weeks away, the reigning NCAA champions are gearing up for another run—and Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram have been putting in the work since arriving for the Summer “A” session. Both freshmen have been regulars in the gym, preparing for their college debuts with intensity and focus.
Fans attending Saturday’s football game against South Florida may find themselves cooling off inside Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center, where an open practice offers a first look at the 2025–26 Gators. It’s a chance to see the blend of new arrivals and returning veterans who will play key roles as Florida looks to defend its first national title in 18 years.
Among the newcomers, Lloyd and Ingram are eager to earn their place.
“Even though we won the national championship, the expectations for CJ and Alex are no different than they were for [Thomas Haugh] and [Alex Condon] when they were freshmen or Isaiah [Brown] last year. And that's to come in here and do everything they can to help this team win,” said Florida head coach Todd Golden after a competitive pickup session. “Yes, a lot of roles are already defined and we have players back, but there is opportunity. It's going to be a challenge, for lack of a better term, to carve out a huge role on this team, but there will be minutes to be had.”
How those minutes are distributed will begin to take shape during preseason and likely solidify once the SEC schedule kicks off in January.
Lloyd and Ingram—now roommates and close friends—aren’t backing down from the challenge.
“There are guys in front of me that have years of experience and years in the program and I'm still trying to figure some things out, like positioning and where I'm supposed to be [on floor] at times,” Ingram said. “I'm still learning. Once everything adds up, I think I'll be contributing to the team at a real high level. That's my personal goal.”
Added Lloyd: “You have to earn your stripes. Nothing is going to be given to me and I don't want anything given to me.”
Just two years ago, CJ Ingram wasn’t on many basketball recruiting radars—despite averaging 25 points, 8.5 assists, and 3.7 steals as a junior. That’s because he was also a standout quarterback for his father, former UF tight end (and occasional basketball contributor) Cornelius Ingram, at Hawthorne High School, where he led the team to back-to-back state football titles. Ingram was a three-star football recruit with over 20 offers as a projected wide receiver, but only two in basketball.
“The difference between then and now? Not even close,” Ingram said, reflecting on his growth on the hardwood.
His breakout came during the 2024 summer club circuit, where he soared into the national top 30 and backed it up with a strong senior season at Montverde Academy, averaging 12.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 steals on a roster stacked with Division I talent.
Florida landed a long, bouncy slasher with elite athleticism and defensive upside. Ingram is still developing his feel for the game and refining his jump shot—understandable after years of balancing two sports. The good news? He’s fully aware of what needs work.
“His work ethic has been ridiculous, so far,” said head coach Todd Golden.
Whether that effort translates into minutes at the “3” spot—where Thomas Haugh is expected to start and Isaiah Brown, along with transfer A.J. Brown (recovering from shoulder surgery), will compete—remains one of the fall’s most intriguing position battles.

Hawthorne QB and 2023 Class 1A Player of the Year CJ Ingram
Photo by CJ Gish / Main Street Daily News
Meanwhile, Alex Lloyd, listed at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, arrived on campus with a sharper feel, higher basketball IQ, and more polished shot than the coaching staff expected. He’s already turning heads. Is Lloyd a “1” or “2”? Doesn’t matter.
“He’s a guard and bucket-getter,” Golden said of Lloyd, who averaged 27.9 points as a senior at Miami Westminster and entered college as a top-50 prospect. “I’ve been impressed with his maturity and coachability so far.”

Alex Lloyd, with his unique, high-arcing jumper, averaged nearly 28 points per game during his senior year of high school in Miami.
Alex Lloyd’s outside shot—with its high, slightly behind-the-head release point—has already made an impression in pickup sessions. It’s tough to contest and has become a noticeable weapon.
The same can be said—and then some—about Florida’s two high-profile backcourt transfers: Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and Boogie Fland (Arkansas), both expected to start and log significant minutes as they step into roles vacated by Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and top reserve Denzel Aberdeen, now at Kentucky.
Lloyd will compete for reserve minutes at either guard spot alongside Urban Klavzar, Isaiah Brown, CJ Ingram, and potentially Alex Kovatchev (Sacramento State), who arrived late in the offseason.
“With the people in front of me, I have to wait my turn. I understand that, so my expectation is not only to do what I can and do what I'm asked, but be good at doing it as well,” Lloyd said. “Obviously, it's an adjustment, but how you handle it is very much a mental thing. You have to put yourself in the mind frame that there are other good players here who have been through the wars. Now, it's my time to learn and be ready because you never know how the course of a season is going to go.”
Both Lloyd and Ingram understand where the team begins—ranked among the nation’s elite—and what it will take to climb the rotation and contribute meaningfully: make the Gators better.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu