After playing a key role for a WSU team that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, Rueben Chinyelu is transferring. WSU’s freshman blocks record holder is headed to Florida, joining a team that is coming off a loss in the first round of the tournament.

Chinyelu started only 12 games for the Cougs last season, but he made a huge impact in his minutes. The 6-foot-11 defensive anchor averaged 4.7 points, 5 rebounds and led the 21st best shot-blocking team in the country in blocks with 1.3.

He announced the move via a collab post with the Gators men’s basketball Instagram account Thursday morning.

Hailing from Nigeria, Chinyelu was another in a recent run of Cougar big men out of Africa. The secret to WSU’s recruiting in Africa over the last few years? Former assistant coach John Andrzejek.

“Rueben’s signing is the culmination of our staff’s commitment to recruiting overseas, especially West Africa,” then-head coach Kyle Smith said in 2022. “Rueben would not be here without John Andrzejek’s relentless hard work.”

Chinyelu, who is the sixth highest ranked recruit in program history, was Andrzejek’s parting gift to Pullman. He took an assistant role at Florida following the 2023 season, where he helped lead the Gators to their best season in years.

Now, Chinyelu rejoins the coach that recruited him. That is not the only tie he has to Florida, though, as the school was one of the finalists he chose WSU over during his initial recruiting process.

Chinyelu was the highest rated Coug left in the portal. His platoon-mate Oscar Cluff transferred to South Dakota State earlier this week, leaving WSU down both of its centers in just three days.

New head coach David Riley has his work cut out for him, with just 13 days left before the portal closes. Two of his former Eastern Washington players have already followed him to WSU, including a tall power forward, but his roster is still without a true center for the time being.