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AJ Brown running in transition during Ohio's game vs Toledo.
AJ Brown running in transition during Ohio’s game vs Toledo. [HG Biggs | WOUB Public Media]

Former Ohio guard AJ Brown commits to 2025 National Champion Florida Gators

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Redshirt Junior guard AJ Brown has a new home, and it’s with this past season’s National Champion.

Brown announced his commitment to the Florida Gators on Thursday morning, officially confirming he won’t return to the Bobcats for the 2025-2026 season.

The Orlando, FL native returns to his home state, where his brother, Isaiah, played for the Gators this past season.

The 6’4″ guard is Florida’s second portal commitment this offseason, joining highly-coveted guard Xavien Lee, who spent the 2024-2025 season at Princeton. The Gators also lost guard Denzel Aberdeen, who committed to Kentucky on Monday.

AJ Brown slicing through Kent State’s defense in Ohio’s 61-59 win. [HG Biggs | WOUB Public Media]
Brown is the second Ohio Bobcat to transfer to the SEC in the NIL era, joining Mark Sears, who spent the last three seasons playing for Alabama. Sears is among the guards who’ve set a high standard under Jeff Boals, as he led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four in 2024 and was a first-team All-American in 2025. Sears’ success, among others, certainly made Brown catch people’s eyes when he entered the transfer portal.

Brown’s departure leaves questions for Ohio about who it can trust on the wing heading into next season. Luckily for the Bobcats, they earned a commitment from former App. State guard Dior Conners on Monday, who boasts a similar profile to Brown.

In December 2022, Brown coincidentally faced Florida during his freshman season with the Bobcats. He scored a team-high 14 points in an 82-48 blowout loss at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. This also happened to be Florida head coach Todd Golden’s first season at the helm, who is now a national champion-winning head coach just three seasons later.