The 2025-26 Auburn men’s basketball roster will remain intact following the switch from head coach Bruce Pearl to his son, Steven Pearl. However, the first recruiting shockwave following the coaching change has occurred.
Caleb Holt, a five-star shooting guard from Huntsville, Alabama, shared with Joe Tipton of Rivals that he will no longer take an official visit to Auburn. His visit was scheduled for next weekend ahead of Auburn football’s home matchup against No. 10 Georgia.
Holt told Tipton last December that he enjoyed watching Tahaad Pettiford play and that he was impressed with the way former head coach Bruce Pearl showed confidence in his guards. However, in another recent interview with Tipton, Holt shared that he’s looking to make an immediate impact with his chosen college program.
“I want them to actually need me. So I want to go somewhere I’m needed. If I feel like, you know, they recruit other five stars, which is cool to play with some of those guys. But I want to have somewhere I can get loose and play my game without some other five-star wanting the same. So yeah, just the best fit. A coach that’s gonna let me defend and I wanted to defend. A coach is gonna let me play my offensive game. Of course, make the right plays and everything. I’m always gonna make the right play, but a coach who believes in me to do the stuff I can showcase.”
Despite the canceled visit, Auburn remains the team with the second-best chance to land Holt according to Rivals’ predictions, with an 18.5% chance, trailing just Alabama, which has a 24.6% chance to sign the talented guard.
Holt is the No. 1 shooting guard from the 2026 class according to Rivals, and is the No. 4 overall player from the class.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__