Auburn’s roster may not be finished yet, and Steven Pearl is clearly moving like a coach who understands the moment. With the surprise portal window opened after U.S.
District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado issued a preliminary injunction on Friday in the lawsuit Wisne et al v. NCAA, players from the 2022 high school class are now eligible again - and Auburn is already circling a few names.
Two of the players on the Tigers’ radar are former Baylor and Cincinnati wing Dan Skillings Jr. and former Memphis, Kansas State and Michigan point guard Dug McDaniel. Jeff Goodman reported that McDaniel “has received interest from Arizona State, Stanford, Auburn, Iowa State, USC, Cincinnati, NC State, Utah, Oregon and Duquesne, his agent Scott Nichols told the Field of 68,” while Skillings “has already received interest from Washington, Auburn , ASU, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Miss state, GCU and Butler.”
That kind of pursuit fits the way Pearl has talked about building this team. Earlier this offseason, he described a roster full of players who have something to prove.
“We’ve built a team that looks a lot like our teams in the past as far as the guys that are on the roster and what motivates them and what drives them. They’re all excited to get here and show the country what they’re capable of, so we’re excited about that," Pearl said earlier this offseason.
Whether every name connected to Auburn is truly in play is another question, but the bigger point is simple: Pearl is looking for more depth, and he’s not acting like the window is too small to matter. With the 2026-27 season looming on the Plains, he appears ready to keep working the market as long as it stays open.
This also looks like the first roster under Steven’s full control that says something about the coach he wants to be. He’s got an NBA draft pick in French center Narcisse Ngoy, and Lithuanian wing Mantas Rubštavičius is also on the roster. It’s a modern roster, built with the realities of the NIL era in mind, and Pearl seems willing to use every tool available.
There’s also the family name and the expectation that comes with it. Pearl has been around the rebuild, and he knows what Auburn expects from its basketball program. After the season he just had - NIT Tournament win included - he’s not standing still.
For now, Auburn is simply in the mix and looking to add. In this kind of portal chaos, that alone says plenty.
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