It's been a roller coaster of an offseason for the Auburn basketball coaching staff, primarily because they had to replace nearly the entire roster after last year's team ended their season in the Final Four.
Most of the players from last year's team exhausted their eligibility, but Chad Baker-Mazara and Jahki Howard both entered the transfer portal. The only player who had the potential to return was Tahaad Pettiford, who had declared for the 2025 NBA Draft after the season while maintaining his college eligibility.
Pettiford and his camp maintained that he would only stay in the draft if he felt he had a first-round contract in hand, guaranteed. After testing the waters and going through the process, Pettiford ultimately decided to return to the Plains for his sophomore season.
But during that time, head coach Bruce Pearl and his staff were still working hard to reload their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season. There were a lot of spots to fill, whether or not Pettiford returned, but Pearl revealed there was a backup plan for Auburn basketball if Pettiford chose to remain in the NBA draft.
“We had a couple of international kids that were ready. We had a couple of international guys that were a little bit older, a little bit more experienced, that were ready to go if he stayed in the draft. And, they weren’t guarantees. We still had a little bit of work to do but that’s what I think more and more people are doing,” Pearl said, per On3. “And, you know, I think it’s a great thing, you know, for college basketball. I think it’s a great thing to bring in some of these that have played; they’re a little older. And, I think it’s going to be good for our game.”