Despite Bruce Pearl recently stepping down, the Auburn Tigers are in good hands with Steven Pearl and are being slept on.
The Auburn Tigers Enter the Season as a Sleeper Team
The Auburn Tigers are coming off an impressive season that saw them make the Final Four. Star player Tahaad Pettiford is back for his sophomore season with the Tigers. However, longtime head coach Bruce Pearl made the difficult decision to step down before the start of the season. Steven Pearl, who has been at Auburn since 2017 and spent the last three seasons as the associate head coach, is set to enter his first season as the new head coach.
No one transferred from the program in the 30-day window
After Bruce Pearl decided to step down, there was a 30-day window for players to transfer, but no one did so despite the circumstances. This is an indicator that the players are bought in and that Steven Pearl has significant upside as a coach. Even though Pettiford’s return was crucial, Auburn has a promising freshman class entering this season.
Auburn will be primarily driven by their transfer class, but the newcomers looked promising in the exhibition with Memphis. Kaden Magwood had 15 points against Memphis and should be a reliable scorer for Auburn. He was previously a top-60 recruit for 2025 and could make an immediate impact. Freshman big man Filip Jovic also played well and showed promising physicality. Auburn is replacing significant experienced players from last year’s run, such as Dylan Cardwell and All-American Johni Broome.
Auburn’s transfer portal class is full of upside
Steven Pearl will likely give the freshman class plenty of opportunities, but Auburn is bringing in one of the best transfer classes in the country (h/t 247Sports). Players such as Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy are expected to be key contributors right away. Hall was an impactful scorer during his junior season and lone year at UCF, averaging 18.8 points per game while also adding 7.1 rebounds. Murphy spent three seasons with Mississippi State and was very productive despite only starting three games. He averaged 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. Murphy is also a very efficient scorer inside the arc.
Auburn also landed another impactful transfer in Kevin Overton. Overton was a reliable piece off the bench for Texas Tech but transferred in pursuit of additional playing time. Overton should also be expected to start for the Tigers. He is another reliable scoring presence that can shoot threes and get to the free throw line effectively. Despite losing many key starters from last year’s Final Four run, the transfer class can make an immediate impact.
The Last Word
Despite coming off an incredible season, the SEC continues to grow in competition, and Bruce Pearl is a significant loss. However, Steven Pearl is in the best position possible to succeed. Auburn’s freshman class is full of upside and can make earlier contributions than expected. Auburn is bringing in one of the best transfer classes in the country as well. The Tigers are a potential sleeper team despite the SEC’s strength entering the year.
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