AUBURN — If it’s no easy to task for a team to make to a Final Four, then replacing nearly the entirety of that squad’s roster in a single offseason can’t be any easier.

One month and 11 days after their trip to San Antonio ended, Bruce Pearl and his Auburn basketball staff have nearly done both.

Advertisement

Between the transfer portal and eligibility expiration, 11 players left the program after the 2024-25 season. But the Tigers have added six transfers from three different levels to go with a three-man signing class. They could also have a lone returnee in Tahaad Pettiford, who’s still eligible to withdraw from the NBA draft process.

But there’s a final piece Auburn is after. It’d like another big man after losing All-American Johni Broome and longtime Tiger Dylan Cardwell. Pearl said Thursday at the Jimmy Rane Foundation’s annual fundraiser banquet in Montgomery he’s “confident” Auburn will land one.

“We think we’ve got an opportunity,” Pearl said. “I think we’re one more big away from having our roster complete.”

This offseason has swirled chaotically for Auburn, with several Tigers out of eligibility, and the few who had some heading elsewhere.

Advertisement

Pettiford has already stated he’d solely return to college at Auburn, but fellow freshman Jahki Howard transferred to Utah. Chad Baker-Mazara, who Pearl said had remaining eligibility, ultimately hit the portal, too, picking USC.

However, Auburn’s gains out-weigh its losses. From the Division I level, it has added Big 12 leading scorer Keyshawn Hall from UCF; an NCAA Tournament veteran in Kevin Overton, who played at Drake and Texas Tech; and KeShawn Murphy, who grew to frontcourt size at Mississippi State.

Beyond them, Auburn has again scoured the Division II and junior college ranks for talent, adding DII standout Elyjah Freeman, and 7-footer Emeka Opurum alongside Abdul Bashir from JUCO, the latter of which led the country in scoring.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Will Auburn basketball add another big man? What Bruce Pearl said.