Todd Golden: Florida coach Todd Golden shares his “surreal” feeling of being in an “elite group” after winning the NCAA championship

The Florida Gators are national champions and head coach Todd Golden is opening up about how it feels. Golden sat down with NCAA basketball correspondent Andy Katz for an episode of "The Sideline." The two discussed the aftermath of Florida's championship win in the YouTube video posted on Monday.

"It's been an incredible experience, and the excitement here in Gainesville has been remarkable," Golden said.

In just his third season as head coach, Golden led the Gators to their first national title since winning back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. He discussed the work he's doing this offseason to ensure lasting success for Florida.

"Just being out and on the road a little bit, trying to recruit and put our team in the best position to be successful next year and moving forward and having some fun with it along the way," Golden said.

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Final Four-Florida Champions Celebration - Source: Imagn

Katz reflected on the success Golden has already achieved in his young career. Golden is only 39 years old and has spent just six seasons as a head coach.

He began his coaching career with three seasons at San Francisco before joining the Gators. Katz asked Golden how it feels to join the exclusive club of coaches who have won a national championship, especially so early in his career.

"It's surreal to be honest," Golden said. "Obviously it's something that you dream about and and you work for. ... We just had a great group this season and [the] team that was super well connected, very mature, very unselfish and our staff did a great job all year as well.

It's just something that we'll never forget, but it was an incredible experience and I'm just very proud to be a part of that elite group."

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Todd Golden's Florida squad's championship season

After a first-round loss in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Golden's Gators entered the 2024-25 season ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll. Florida opened the season with 13 straight wins to move up to the No. 6 spot by Week 9.

The SEC was dominant this season, and Golden's team felt the impact of this early in conference play, dropping matchups against Kentucky and Missouri in January. The Gators were dominated by No. 8 Tennessee on February 1 before picking up six straight SEC wins, including defeats of then No. 1 Auburn and then No. 22 Mississippi State.

Florida fell to unranked Georgia on February 25, but it became the last time the team would lose that season. Golden led his team to an SEC Tournament title and a top seed in March Madness.

The Gators picked up six straight NCAA Tournament wins, including over No. 1 seeds Auburn and Houston, to win their first national title in nearly two decades. Golden will aim to continue leading Florida to greatness in the seasons to come.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.