Seven-foot-nine center Olivier Rioux has transferred to UC Irvine.

Rioux spent the last two seasons with Florida. He told reporters he was looking for more playing time before entering the transfer portal. 

He did not play the 2024-25 season when Florida won the NCAA championship. He played in 11 games in 2025-2026 while averaging 1.5 minutes per game. 

Rioux hit one of two free throws in a Nov. 21 game against Merrimack. This made him the tallest player in college basketball history to score a point.

Last season, UC Irvine had only one traditional center, Eli Choi. Choi averaged five points and three rebounds. Choi will be staying with UC Irvine for his senior season.

Despite being a smaller team, UC Irvine still ranked 13th in the nation in rebounds per game. However, one area they struggled with was offensive rebounding. They were outside the top 100 in offensive rebounding last season.

Rioux is largely unproven at the college basketball level. However, it’s hard to imagine that many players will be able to get a rebound over a seven-foot-nine player. 

Last season, Florida was pretty deep at the center position. Outside of Rioux, they also had Rueben Chinyelu, Viktor Mikic and Micah Handlogten. Handlogten will be graduating, while Mikic will stay for another season. Chinyelu is currently in the transfer portal, but has shown interest in returning to Florida. 

Earlier this offseason, Florida signed Spanish center Arturas Butajevas. However, Butajevas is very versatile, so he doesn’t impact their ability to play Chinyelu. 

The biggest news Florida got this offseason was that Thomas Haugh will return for another season. Many draft experts expected him to declare for the NBA draft. He was expected to be a top-20 pick.

Next year’s college class is expected to be weaker. This could allow Haugh to be drafted higher, which gives him a larger rookie contract. 

Florida freshman center Olivier Rioux made history on Thursday by becoming the tallest person to ever play college basketball in the Gators’ 104-64 win against North Florida.

The 7-foot-9 center checked into the game with just over two minutes remaining. Rioux made history as the crowd chanted “We want Ollie” in the buildup.

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“It felt great,” Rioux said following Florida’s win. “The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everyone supported me. I’m very grateful.”

Born in Canada, Rioux played basketball at IMG Academy before joining the Gators in 2024. He became redshirted after not making an appearance for the 2024-25 season. Rioux also represented Canada at the youth level, helping his country win two bronze medals at the U16 and U18 levels.

The center’s debut on Thursday surpassed Kenny George and Mike Lanier‘s record as the tallest players to play college basketball, both of whom at 7-foot-7.

Florida coach Todd Golden knew he was going to put Rioux into the game when the Gators held a 24 point advantage by halftime. With fans demanding his appearance, and the team extending its lead to 41 points with about two minutes left, Golden decided to call his name.

“Obviously, the game was in our control, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience,” Golden said. “I think he was pretty excited. It was pretty neat for him to finally see the floor.”

Florida’s next game will be against in-state rivals Florida State on Tuesday at the O’Connell Center.