Florida is about to lose its fan-favorite star center to the 2026 college basketball transfer portal. After two years in Gainesville, Olivier Rioux will make another school home to the tallest player in college basketball.

Rioux has appeared in only 11 games for the Gators over two years, all in garbage time. He announced his decision to enter the transfer portal with a crafted message to the Florida fan base on X, formerly Twitter.

“It's truly hard to put into words what these last two years and this experience has meant to me,” Rioux wrote. “From being raised in the province of Quebec back home in Canada, to representing this incredible program, wearing these colors and competing at the highest level has been one of the greatest honors of my life. After taking time to reflect on my journey and what's best for my future, I've decided to enter the transfer portal.”

After redshirting the 2024-2025 season, Rioux took the court for 17 total minutes in 2025-2026, during which he averaged 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds. Rioux got two minutes of March Madness action in Florida's Round of 64 win over Prairie View A&M, logging two points, two rebounds and one assist against the Panthers.

Rioux becomes Florida's first entry to the 2026 college basketball transfer portal. However, he is likely far from Todd Golden's only loss, with Xaivian Lee likely departing and Thomas Haugh potentially declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft.

Rioux is tied for the 46th-tallest living person in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, and is the tallest player in college basketball history. Rioux is a full five inches taller than Victor Wembanyama, the tallest active player in the NBA.