Auburn’s next season already has a familiar kind of intrigue around it: a roster with fresh faces, a new era under Steven Pearl, and a whole lot of uncertainty about how high the Tigers can climb.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf put some numbers on that uncertainty Wednesday, projecting Auburn’s best-case scenario at 25 wins and a trip to the round of 32 in March Madness. His floor was far less forgiving - a 20-win season and another team that never gets into the NCAA Tournament.
Medcalf pointed to the Tigers’ uneven 2025 campaign as the reason for the cautious outlook. Auburn finished by winning the NIT championship, but only after a 1-7 skid that wrecked its at-large NCAA tournament hopes.
Still, there were reasons for optimism baked into that finish, especially with Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton returning. The two combined for 50 points in Auburn’s NIT championship win over Tulsa.
The biggest issue, though, is the one Auburn fans have been circling all offseason: who replaces Keyshawn Hall? Hall posted 19.3 points per game and shot 38% from 3, and Medcalf made clear that replacing that production is the real test for this group.
The Tigers have tried to address the problem with size and skill. They added Narcisse Ngoy, a French seven-footer, and Bukky Oboye, a Santa Clara transfer listed at 7-foot-1.
But Hall’s value wasn’t just about length and physicality. Auburn also has to find a dependable scorer and a reliable perimeter threat.
Mantas Rubštavičius looks like the most complete answer to those needs, with the ability to cover both scoring and shooting. Even so, Auburn has other options it can turn to, including Thomas Dowd, Owen Freeman, Caleb Williams and several other new players on the Plains.
That makes the Tigers hard to pin down right now. They’ve already taken part in exhibition games against Lithuanian pro team KK Mega Superbet, but the full picture still isn’t clear. More preseason and exhibition action should help reveal how the offense fits together - and whether Auburn has enough firepower to land closer to Medcalf’s ceiling than his floor.
In Other News...
Bruce Pearl Steps Into A Debate Auburn Fans Will Want To Hear
Bruce Pearl has not been shy about weighing in on issues far outside the sideline, and his latest public comment landed squarely in one of the most charged debates in womens sports. After Enes Kanter Freedom announced plans to enter the 2027 WNBA draft, Pearl urged the people who oversee womens basketball to protect the sport, putting a familiar Auburn name into a conversation that quickly spread well beyond college hoops.
The WNBA responded by saying there are no immediate eligibility issues and by rejecting efforts to use the topic to marginalize others. For Auburn fans who followed Pearl for years on the Plains, it is another reminder that his voice still carries, especially when he chooses to step into a national argument that has plenty of emotion and not many easy answers. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Running Backs Face A Camp Battle That Could Reshape Roles
Auburns running back room is heading into camp with a clear message from Larry Porter: everyone has to think and prepare like a starter. The Tigers running backs coach said he is coaching every player equally, and while the offense wont hand out equal snaps to everyone, there should still be ways for the group to help the team, especially on special teams.
Omar Mabson, Bryson Washington and Tay Meadows were among the names Porter pointed to as players with traits that could make them useful in different ways. It sets up a competitive summer for a room that may not sort itself out quickly, and the pecking order could have a real impact on how Auburn pieces together its offense and coverage units once the season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Biggest Preseason Battle Is Brewing Behind Jeremiah Cobb
Alex Golesh has made it clear Auburn wants to lean on the run in 2026, which puts a premium on the backs behind Jeremiah Cobb. Cobb is expected to be the top option, but the depth chart after him is far from settled, with Bryson Washington, Omar Mabson, Tae Meadows, Nykahi Davenport and Alvin Henderson all in the mix for the next spots in a room that still feels very much under construction.
The intrigue is in how quickly that pecking order can take shape once the Tigers get deeper into camp and the season approaches. Some of the contenders are still working their way back or are expected to keep developing, which leaves Auburn with real questions about how the rotation will look when the carries start to matter. For a team built to feature the ground game, sorting out the man behind Cobb may be one of the biggest preseason decisions left. [Read more 🡒]