AUBURN — The transfer portal window is officially closed for college basketball.
The nearly month-long window, which opened March 24, closed at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, and Auburn basketball‘s task of rebuilding an entire Final Four-caliber roster made massive strides in that time.
Bruce Pearl and his staff brought in five newcomers during the window and saw three players depart. There were some massive wins in terms of additions, like Big 12 leading scorer Keyshawn Hall joining the program. But even Auburn couldn’t avoid a surprise departure, with Chad Baker-Mazara entering the portal.
As Pearl puts the finishing touches on his 2025-26 roster, here’s a look at where Auburn stands — and what could change moving forward.
The transfer portal closed. Is Auburn basketball’s roster movement over?
Like the rest of college basketball, Auburn will have another week to host prospective transfers who had already entered the portal on visits. The only thing the portal’s closing means is that new players can’t enter it. It also doesn’t mean players currently in the portal can’t withdraw or commit to a new home.
With where Auburn’s roster stands, it still has as many as two spots to fill, and that’s assuming its two potential returners actually come back.
Should Tahaad Pettiford withdraw from the NBA draft, and Chaney Johnson get another year of eligibility, the Tigers would have one available scholarship remaining. But they could have as many as three to fill once Pettiford and Johnson’s next steps are settled.
Here’s a look at how Auburn’s scholarship situation currently looks.
- Auburn basketball’s scholarship breakdown
- Definite (9)
- G Abdul Bashir (JUCO)
- G Elyjah Freeman (Transfer)
- G Kaden Magwood
- G Kevin Overton
- G Simon Walker
- F Keyshawn Hall
- F Sebastian Williams-Adams
- F/C KeShawn Murphy
- C Emeka Opurum
- Possible (2)
- G Tahaad Pettiford
- Testing NBA Draft waters
- F Chaney Johnson
- Exploring extra season of eligibility
- G Tahaad Pettiford
- Definite (9)
Transfer portal: What Auburn basketball added
Auburn’s transfer portal haul includes standouts from every rank; Three Division I additions, one from junior college and another from Division II.
Here’s a look at who Auburn added during the portal window.
- Auburn basketball’s transfer portal additions
- G Elyjah Freeman (Division II)
- 2024-25 stats: 19.3 PPG (57.8% FG); 46.3% 3P; 9.1 RPG; 1.8 SPG
- C Emeka Opurum (JUCO)
- 2024-25 stats: 9.4 PPG (67.2% FG); 8.1 RPG; 2.6 RPG
- F KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi State)
- 2024-25 stats: 11.7 PPG (56.6% FG); 7.4 RPG; 1.1 BPG
- G Kevin Overton (Texas Tech)
- 2024-25 stats: 7.8 PPG (42.2% FG); 3.7 RPG; 0.9 APG
- F Keyshawn Hall (Mississippi State)
- 2024-25 stats: 18.8 PPG (42.7% FG); 7.1 RPG; 2.4 APG
- G Elyjah Freeman (Division II)
Transfer portal: What Auburn basketball lost
Could a Baker-Mazara return actually happen? While it’s far from certain, it’s technically possible.
John Fanta of Fox Sports reported that Baker-Mazara had already signed a name, image and likeness deal with Auburn before heading into the portal, and should it cause any sort of tangle in him heading to a new destination, it could open the door for an Auburn return.
- Auburn basketball’s transfer portal departures
- F Addarin Scott
- 2024-25 stats: DNP
- G/F Chad Baker-Mazara
- 2024-25 stats: 12.3 PPG (44.8% FG); 3.0 RPG; 2.7 APG
- F Jahki Howard
- 2024-25 stats: 4.2 PPG (53.6% FG); 1.1 RPG; 9.1 MPG
- F Addarin Scott
What Bruce Pearl said about each of Auburn basketball’s offseason signees
G Abdul Bashir: “Abdul is a special talent. If he can see it, he can make it; falling in line with some of the great shooters we’ve had here at Auburn. He has great length, instinct and feel for the game. With three years of eligibility, I am excited about Abdul working on his body, improving his skills and becoming a dominant player.”
G Elyjah Freeman: “He was under recruited out of high school, goes to Lincoln Memorial and just does a tremendous job. One of the best offensive players in all of Division II basketball as a freshman, Elyjah is an incredibly hard worker, dedicated and driven. He’s got some instincts that are hard to teach. He also has the size of a forward, but he will play a big guard position for Auburn.”
C Emeka Opurum: “I am really proud of the track record we’ve had of developing big men in the line of Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, Walker Kessler and Austin Wiley. Emeka has great upside. He is a legit 7-footer. He has a great wingspan, great timing defensively and has the ability to move his feet.”
F/C KeShawn Murphy: “I’ve known KeShawn Murphy since he was a ninth-grader and watched him develop in high school and continue to improve at Mississippi State. He is one of the most efficient players in our league. He impacts the game on both the offensive and defensive ends. I am really excited about the prospect of continuing to develop another big man.”
G Kevin Overton: “The way he plays flat-out impacts winning. He has always been known as a tough, physical defender and a 3-and-D guy. … Graduating Denver Jones, Miles Kelly and Chris Moore, we needed a veteran leader to call our young backcourt. The character, toughness and work ethic that Kevin brings will add to our culture and rebuild our roster.”
F Keyshawn Hall: “Keyshawn was one of the most impactful players in the transfer portal. He was the leading scorer in the Big 12 and is a bucket-getter. He is a very difficult one-on-one cover and can play multiple positions, both offensively and defensively. He is just a matchup nightmare for the opponent.”
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.
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