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Gators Make Top 3 for Guard Riley Kugel; Set to Commit Monday

Florida is firmly in the mix for 2022 guard Riley Kugel.

Zach Goodall

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The Florida Gators are among three finalists for 2022 Dr. Phillips (Fla.) guard Riley Kugel, who has scheduled his commitment for Monday evening at 6 P.M. ET.

Alongside Florida, Georgia and LSU will have hats at the table when Kugel is set to make his college decision.

Kugel, 6-foot-4, 175 pounds, was formerly committed to and even signed with Mississippi State, but backed off of his pledge in March amid the hoopla that was the NCAA men's basketball coaching carousel following the 2021-22 season.

Each program in the mix for Kugel — all hailing from the SEC — will enter the upcoming season with a new head coach, as Georgia hired former UF head coach Mike White, Florida brought in Todd Golden to replace White, and LSU snagged Matt McMahon from Murray State to take over for Will Wade.

During his senior season breakout campaign at Dr. Phillips in 2021-22, Kugel averaged 16.5 points at a 58 percent clip, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 31 appearances.

Upon his arrival at Florida, Golden was tasked with flipping the Gators' roster due to losses via transfer, NBA Draft declaration and graduates departing from the program. 

Thus far, Golden has acquired four transfers in former Virginia Military Institute guard Trey Bonham, former St. Bonaventure guard Kyle Lofton, former Belmont guard Will Richard and former LSU forward Alex Fudge. 

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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Zach Goodall
ZACH GOODALL

Zach Goodall is the publisher of AllGators.com on FanNation-Sports Illustrated, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports since 2019.  Before moving to Gainesville, Zach spent four years covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for SB Nation (2015-18) and Locked On Podcast Network (2017-19), originally launching his sports journalism career as a junior in high school. He also covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for FanNation-Sports Illustrated (2020-22). In addition to writing and reporting, Zach is a sports photographer and videographer who primarily shoots football and basketball games, practices and related events. When time permits in the 24/7 media realm, Zach enjoys road trips, concerts, golf and microbreweries. 

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