College basketball transfer portal gets its biggest entry yet: 7-9 Olivier Rioux to exit Florida

The tallest player in college basketball is entering the transfer portal when it officially opens on April 7. Florida 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux will be looking for a new home after spending the last two seasons with Florida, he announced on social media on Tuesday

Rioux, who was a preferred walk-on with the Gators, played in 11 games this season for the reigning national champions. He made history earlier this season by becoming the tallest player in college basketball history -- at any level -- to score a basket. He threw down a two-handed flush in Florida's blowout win over Saint Francis earlier this season.

Rioux logged just 16 total minutes in those 11 games as a deep bench reserve for the Gators. Florida's elite frontcourt depth, headlined by Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, made the path to real playing time tough. Rioux redshirted during Florida's national title run last season and didn't appear in a game.

In 2021, Guinness World Records declared Rioux the tallest teenager in the world at 7-feet-5. When he checked in against North Florida earlier this season, he became the tallest college basketball player ever to appear in a game. To give context on how tall Rioux actually is, he didn't even need a ladder to cut down the nets when Florida beat Texas Tech in the Elite Eight last season.

In Rioux's likely final game at Florida, he logged two minutes in the Gators' 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M. His final stat line in that game was two points (on 1 of 3 from the field), two rebounds and an assist. Rioux also got a viral bench reaction from his teammates at Florida after he scored his first and only basket in that game.

Rioux is a former three-star recruit from the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Why Rioux likely won't land in power conference

Ever since he first popped up playing for Canada's national team as a 15-year-old, Rioux has turned heads and stopped people in their tracks due to his enormous size. However, since that initial splash, coaches at all levels, including Todd Golden at Florida, have struggled to find a way to make him a viable piece on the offensive or defensive end. While he's always going to draw attention from casual fans, college coaches may be a bit more reticent to move on him in the transfer portal because of questions regarding his ability to keep up with the speed of the college game. -- Eric Bossi, 247Sports senior writer