Florida guard Boogie Fland sidelined until September after offseason sports hernia surgery

Florida point guard Boogie Fland underwent sports hernia surgery on July 3 but is expected to be ready for the start of fall camp, according to Gators coach Todd Golden.

Fland declared for the NBA Draft after a successful freshman season for the Arkansas Razorbacks that saw him average 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He withdrew his name from the draft after a visit to Florida, signing with the Gators in May. The 6-foot-3 lead guard is a former five-star prospect.

"He'll be back when school starts," Golden said at a booster event on Thursday. "He could have played through it, but it made more sense to get it taken care of so he didn't have to worry about it during the season."

Fland is expected to be a major contributor for Florida's revamped backcourt after the team lost guards Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard to graduation after winning last season's national championship. The Gators also lost another guard after Denzel Aberdeen transferred to Kentucky.

Golden was aggressive in the transfer portal, bringing in not only Fland but also Xaivian Lee from Princeton and AJ Brown from Ohio.

Fland, who missed 15 games last season with a thumb injury, will reportedly make more than $2 million for the NIL deal that led to his transfer.

Last season, the Gators finished with a 36-4 record, winning the national championship in Golden's third season at the helm.