Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers had some major gaps to fill after their 2025 NCAA Tournament exit, with numerous players departing for the NBA and entering the transfer portal.
But now, Auburn will see one of its best players return.
Following the Final Four loss, freshman Tahaad Pettiford revealed he would be declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. The guard saw his stock rise in the Tigers' March Madness run, averaging 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists through five games.
Pettiford was one of the original NBA draft combine invites participating in the event in Chicago from May 11-18. But after playing in front of NBA scouts, he has decided to return to school for his sophomore season.
Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford
Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
On Wednesday, Pettiford announced his return to Auburn on Instagram. He used "I'm back" as the caption.
"Heard they wanted to run it back at Neville?" Pettiford wrote.
The Instagram post also included a highlight video from Pettiford's first season with Auburn.
Pettiford was projected as a late-first to early-second round pick by many mock drafts. But there may have been some uncertainty surrounding his draft stock, which could be a reason for his return.
With Pettiford coming back, Pearl has confirmed a larger role for the guard. In 2024-25, he came off the bench for most games, but will be inserted into the starting lineup in 2025-26.
"If he does come back, he's going to have to play an expanded role, which I know is something that is exciting to him and probably exciting to our fan base, too, because we'll get to see more of him," Pearl said. "He'll be a starter. There will be more on him."