ChompTalk.com

Tuesday afternoon, sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson announced via social media that he will be returning to Florida for his junior season.

I can’t wait to get back and play with my brothers again next season! We’ve got unfinished business & the Gators will be ready to go. I’m excited to keep growing on and off the court with Coach White and our coaching staff here & keep playing in front of the gator family💙💙 pic.twitter.com/eRrOu39AyH

— Keyontae (@keyontaejohnso1) April 14, 2020

In his announcement, Johnson cited “unfinished business” as a reason for staying, same as freshman teammate Scottie Lewis did in his announcement on April 6. This “unfinished business” Johnson and Lewis are referring to could be in regards to the coronavirus pandemic cutting their season short, eliminating any and all hopes at a tournament run in March, or the need to redeem themselves after a regular season not worthy of their No. 6 preseason ranking by the Associated Press.

Regardless, Johnson’s decision to stay in Gainesville another year seemed like less and less of a give in with each passing day. Out of all 14 players listed on the Gators’ roster, his draft stock was the most highly rated among independent media outlets. Between the #FireMikeWhite army blitzing the Gators Twitterverse after every loss and team chemistry looking like it reached its boiling point this season, it’d make sense for him to go.

In March, Bleacher Report ranked Johnson No. 46 on its NBA Draft Top 50 Big Board. Various scouting websites, like NBA Scouting Live and Draft Site, projected that he would be drafted in the second round.

Johnson’s announcement makes two official returners (him and Lewis) for the 2020-2021 season for Florida — something it has struggled with recently, having lost seven veterans to the transfer portal in the last two years.