AUBURN — In the span of a day, Auburn basketball entered a new era, as head coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement and the program announced his son, assistant coach Steven Pearl, had signed a five-year contract to succeed his father.
It was quite the shake-up, but the coaching change also paves the way for more departures, as Auburn‘s roster now gets a 30-day window, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 23, to enter the transfer portal — 42 days before the 2025-26 season’s start.
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The timing is certainly less than ideal, both for the program and its players, as its roster includes 10 newcomers who were added this offseason. Among those additions are UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall, who led the Big 12 in scoring last season. Hall is alongside several former blue-chip recruits, too, including freshmen signees Kaden Magwood and Sebastian Williams-Adams, and the program’s lone returnee, Tahaad Pettiford.
Until the window closes on Oct. 22, any Tiger is free to explore their options or make an exit. Here’s everything to know about the next month, and what it could mean for Auburn.
Why Bruce Pearl’s retirement opens transfer window for Auburn basketball
NCAA rules permit players whose team undergoes a coaching change to enter the portal as soon as the next day, but its specifics don’t necessarily make it easy for someone on Auburn’s roster to find a new home in short time.
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Should a player transfer after enrolling at a school, they cannot transfer during that same year and compete for a new program. Auburn began classes for its latest semester on Aug. 18. While its players could still transfer, they’d likely have to redshirt or sit out a majority of the 2025-26 season.
Who could transfer from Auburn basketball? A look at the roster
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F Sebastian Williams-Adams^
Asterisks denote first-year transfer additions. ^ indicate freshman signees.
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. To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
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This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bruce Pearl’s retirement opens transfer window for Auburn basketball
