Following the departure of Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, Todd Golden bolsters Florida's defense with addition of Sacramento State transfer

Coming off an excellent season, Todd Golden and Florida are looking to continue their winning ways. Alex Kovatchev of Sacramento State joined the Gators on Monday to complete their 2025-26 roster.

The program won its third national championship in April after defeating the Houston Cougars in the final.

However, the team lost three key contributors to the NBA draft: Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin. All three were selected in the two-round draft. The Gators lost over 45 points per game from last year's squad.

Golden and his staff did not hurry filling these open spots, but eventually added new faces from the transfer portal. These include former Princeton guard Xaivian Lee and Arkansas' Boogie Fland.

"We're not going to rush," Golden said in May, according to Sports Illustrated. "I think we have a great group right now, and my hope is with this last spot, we'll be able to find more of a developmental-type player, a guy that'll come in and be happy to learn behind some guys."

True to his words, for the final scholarship spot, Golden waited until July 14 to bring in Kovatchev. Graham Hall of 247 Sports reported the news on X.

"With their final scholarship spot, the defending champion Florida Gators have added Sacramento State transfer guard Alex Kovatchev to their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season," Hall tweeted.

Kovatchev only played in four games for the Hornets last campaign before suffering a leg injury that derailed his season. He will help Florida with his size on the perimeter and defense.

Todd Golden lines up difficult nonconference opponents to test his team early

Florida coach Todd Golden doesn't want his team to slow down after winning a national championship and aims to repeat next year. To ensure his team remains at its peak, Golden has stacked the Gators' nonconference schedule with formidable opponents.

Florida will begin its season on Nov. 3 against Arizona in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas. It will host rival Florida State at the O'Connell Center on Nov. 11 before taking on Miami in the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown.

The Gators will start December with a trip to Durham to face Duke — last season's Final Four participant — as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. They also have a matchup against Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 9.