This story will be updated.
AUBURN — Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall, two of the best players on Auburn basketball‘s roster, told their teammates Wednesday, Oct. 1, that they won’t entertain the transfer portal ahead of the 2025-26 season, head coach Steven Pearl said.
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Following Bruce Pearl‘s retirement on Monday, Sept. 22, the program had a 30-day transfer portal window open, with its players free to enter and explore their options. Steven Pearl also added that the remainder of his roster is expected to not enter the portal.
In a way, Pettiford and Hall’s retention is the younger Pearl’s first recruiting win, after the news of his father’s retirement broke before the program was able to inform its players first.
A freshman on Auburn‘s Final Four squad last season, Pettiford entered the NBA Draft process and eventually withdrew his name May 28. Hall, who led the Big 12 in scoring a season ago at UCF, committed to the Tigers on April 2, as the program was in San Antonio and gearing up for its matchup with eventual national champion Florida.
Pettiford rose to stardom last year. He was Auburn’s third-leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points and 3.0 assists per game. During the Tigers’ run to the Final Four, he was vital, averaging 17.3 points between the Round of 64 and Elite Eight. He scored 23 and 20 points, respectively, in Auburn’s NCAA Tournament wins over Creighton and Michigan.
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Hall averaged a career-high 18.8 points for the Knights and did so while shooting 42.7% from the field and 35.4% from distance.
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.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball retains Tahaad Pettiford, Keyshawn Hall for 2025-26
