Despite being born without half of his left arm, Zach Hodskins will play Division I basketball next year for one of the most successful programs in the country. He committed to Florida on Saturday, ESPN reported.

As a preferred walk on, Hodskins doesn't have a scholarship, but his contract guarantees him a spot on the roster. With his school chosen and place secured, his next goal is playing time.

"At Florida, I'm going to have every opportunity to get on the floor and play," he said. "The situation was different at Kentucky."

Before committing to Florida, Hodskins, whose from Georgia and reportedly had offers from lesser DI programs, considered Kentucky after speaking with head coach John Calipari, according to ESPN. But Kentucky, the preseason No. 1 team, has regularly hauled in the best recruiting class since Calipari's hiring in 2009 and did so again this year. Hodskins worried he'd never play on coach Cal's team of high school all stars and future NBA prospects.

"I'm coming on as a preferred walk-on, but I'll be treated like every other player," Hodskins said. "If I work hard, Coach Donovan told me I'll have a chance to play."

Making Hodskin's story more remarkable is his size and position. At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, he's big for a guard but he'll still have to handle the ball a tremendous amount for someone with just a single dribbling hand. Based on his YouTube footage, he can't dribble with his left arm, so it remains to be seen how he'll continue to beat defenders to the right at the DI level - or ever take them left. He does have a nifty behind the back dribble - which starts and ends with his right hand - that is effective in transition.

Hodskin's shot is smooth (he uses his shortened left as its guide), and he'll never suffer from anything less than the purest rotation. He jumps on his shot, but is restricted from getting too high because of the length of his left arm. According to the The Big Lead, he hit 60 percent of his 3-pointers last season so Hodskins could make his mark at Florida as a 3-point specialist. Most of his points last year were scored behind the arc, including seven 3s in a season-opening, four-point loss, according to Max Preps.

"He is remarkable," his high school coach Van Keys told USA Today in 2012. "Watching him play would be amazing anyway because he's that good, but when you consider what he's overcome to be so good, it's almost surreal."

The odds will be against Hodskins, which could become his greatest strength. Like one-legged wrestlers and, to a lesser extent, lefthanders in general, Hodskin's game may be just quirky enough to work, even at the DI level. According to CBS Sports, Hodskins can do at least 10 one-armed pullups.

In an interview on "Sportscenter", Hodskins said the greatest obstacle he had to overcome was people. Billy Donovan won't mind having a player like that on his team.

"I know that people who don't know me sleep on me when I walk on the court," he told USA Today last year. "They don't think I can play or they don't know what to think, but it's when I hit those first few shots or when I go by them is when they wake up. That's when they start playing me hard. That's what I love. I know I've just earned their respect. That's all I want.

"It's always been my dream growing up," he said. "I never expected it to be like this, but the hard work has paid off. I'm ecstatic I'm going to be a Florida Gator."

Hodskins won't be the only one-armed Division I athlete to debut next season. Shaquill Griffin, also missing the lower half of his left arm, won a scholarship to play cornerback alongside his twin brother Shaquem at Central Florida, according to ESPN. Griffin is also nationally-ranked in the triple jump.