Five-star college basketball prospect Malik Reneau decommitted from Florida on Tuesday but Montverde Academy basketball coach Kevin Boyle said that doesn’t necessarily mean his prized power forward won’t end up with the Gators.
Boyle said Reneau met new UF coach Todd Golden for the first time on Tuesday and indicated that Golden is striving to convince the 6-foot-8 power player that his signing with the school last November was a good idea.
“Coach is quickly trying to build that relationship and see if he can keep [Reneau] there,” Boyle told the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday morning. “I think Malik is open to Florida. But he wants to talk to other people simply because he hasn’t had time to get to know [Golden] very well yet.”
It was reported Tuesday by Joe Tipton of On3.com that Reneau reopened his recruitment following Mike White’s departure to rival Georgia after seven seasons at UF.
Golden, who took San Francisco to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998 as a third-year head coach this season, was named Florida’s coach on Friday.
“This all happened so quickly,” Boyle said. “Malik was kind of stunned by it. He just wants to be able to talk to other people and weigh his options.”
Reneau was White’s highest-ranked signee since 2019.
Tipton’s report stated that Florida granted Reneau a release from his national letter of intent.
“I would assume that’s correct,” Boyle said. “That’s usually standard operating procedure in situations like this. I do believe Florida would like to keep him.”
There have been social media mentions by recruiting analysts that say Reneau, a Miami native, wants to stay in Florida and is considering Miami and FSU.
Reneau took official visits to UF and UM before announcing his commitment to the Gators on Sept. 1.
“Miami is obviously doing well in the [NCAA] tournament. We’ll see how that plays into this,” Boyle said.
The Hurricanes (26-10) have scored wins vs. USC and second seed Auburn and will play Iowa State in a Sweet 16 game on Friday night.
Dr. Phillips guard Denzel Aberdeen remains committed to UF according to DP coach Ben Witherspoon, who confirmed that on Wednesday.
This report was first published at Orlandosentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
