The 2024-25 Auburn Basketball Roster Tracker

There's nothing quite like roster management in college basketball. Keep track of all of the Tigers' moves this offseason right here.

(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

Last Update: May 26 (Miles Kelly)

Bruce Pearl and his staff have been masters of reinvention at Auburn.

The Tigers have gone through a variety of styles in the past decade, and they’ve been able to win four SEC titles and make it to five — and would’ve been six — NCAA Tournaments in the last seven seasons.

Last offseason, after a challenging campaign on the offensive side of the ball, Pearl and his staff renovated the roster by bringing in four newcomers and tweaking roles for several returning weapons. The end result was a 27-win campaign that ended in shocking heartbreak but still featured a championship celebration in Nashville.

This offseason, Auburn could bring back a large chunk of its title-winning roster, but significant changes feel inevitable. Can the Tigers push the right buttons and raise their ceiling even further for the 2024-25 season?

There’s nothing quite like roster management in college basketball. With a limited amount of scholarships available and a massive amount of options in the high school ranks and the transfer portal, the movement feels non-stop over the course of the offseason.

With that in mind, it’s time to break out the newest edition of the Auburn Basketball Roster Tracker here at The Observer.

Like with football, this will be the one place to keep up with all the action this offseason, from NBA Draft declarations to transfer movement and everything in-between.

This tracker is broken up into four main sections to start: Confirmed newcomers, confirmed departures, players who could come back next season and transfer targets. These lists will be very fluid. We’ll also have an evolving look at the positional breakdown across the five spots, knowing that roles can and will change over time.

SG/SF Miles Kelly (Instagram)

Additions (5)

Georgia Tech SG/SF Miles Kelly (transfer)

13.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, career 35% 3PT, 13.3 PER in 2023-24

A 6-foot-4 guard from Georgia, Kelly has spent the last two seasons as a reliable weapon for a rebuilding Georgia Tech program. Shooting 35% from deep and nearly 80% from the free-throw line for his career, Kelly is the type of scoring punch that Auburn has wanted to add to its reloaded backcourt. Kelly posted career-best marks in rebounding and assists last season, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in defensively as another wing with experience and length.

SMU PF Ja’Heim Hudson (transfer)

5.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 32.1% 3PT, 17.8 PER in 2023-24

Originally from Wheeler High School in Marietta, Hudson started his college basketball career at Georgia State. He averaged 10 points and nearly seven rebounds per game as a sophomore before following his former coach to SMU. With the Mustangs last season, Hudson came off the bench and posted some of his best offensive and defensive metrics of his career — particularly in the area of playmaking and shooting. The 6-foot-7 forward helps Auburn round out its frontcourt, and he’ll be able to come back close to home.

Furman PG JP Pegues (transfer)

18.4 PPG, 4.8 APG, 36.2% 3PT, 21.4 PER in 2023-24

Furman didn’t make it back to the NCAA Tournament this season, but several of the names who engineered their famous upset of Virginia in 2023 made noise in 2024. Pegues is a flamethrower of a 6-foot-1 guard, putting up 15 different 20-point games and a pair of 30-point outings late in the season. The All-SoCon pick shot 36.2% from deep and 87.5% from the line while averaging over a steal per game, giving teams the numbers they like to see in the portal. A two-year starter on a strong mid-major, Pegues had a ton of suitors and came down to several SEC teams — but it looks like the Tigers have their floor general for the 2024-25 season.

5-star PG/SG Tahaad Pettiford (Jersey City, N.J.)

No. 25 overall player and No. 1 PG for 2024 (247Sports Composite)

Pettiford is the third 5-star point guard that Auburn has signed in the last five years, and he is the No. 5 overall signee in program history. According to Pearl, the McDonald’s All-American is “a gifted scorer with an unlimited range” who provides “instant offense” with his “tremendous speed, quickness and athletic jumping ability.” Auburn has become a factory for undersized yet skilled floor generals, but Pearl made it clear on March 28 that he sees Pettiford as an off-ball guard instead of a true point guard. That made sense with the way Auburn’s roster was constructed then, yet he might need to be more of a 1 with recent moves elsewhere.

4-star SF Jahki Howard (Atlanta)

No. 70 overall player and No. 20 SF for 2024 (247Sports Composite)

Explosiveness is the name of the game for Auburn’s 2024 class, as Howard is widely regarded as one of the best athletes and overall dunkers in all of high school basketball. Pearl said Howard’s “basketball IQ, athleticism and motor” make him a “great fit” for Auburn’s style. A tremendous slasher with an improving jumper on offense and a versatile disruptor on defense, Howard looks like he might have what it takes to carve out a role early on a team that is big on balance.

PF Jaylin Williams (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

Departures (5)

PF Jaylin Williams (out of eligibility)

12.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 39.5% 3PT, 23.9 PER in 2023-24 (Second Team All-SEC)

After five seasons on the Plains, the winningest player in Auburn basketball history has officially left the building. Williams saved his best for last, putting together an incredibly efficient senior season that earned him an All-SEC spot and a tournament championship. Williams made a huge difference between winning and losing throughout his Auburn career, and while the Tigers will have strong plans in place to replace him — it won’t be a simple transition at all.

PG Aden Holloway (transferred to Alabama)

7.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 10.9 PER in 2023-24

Holloway came in with plenty of hype as a 5-star point guard and got off to a fast start, but an extended shooting slump robbed him of the offensive impact that many expected — including himself. He finished the season with an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio, especially for a true freshman, and his defensive improvement stood out to coaches and teammates. Holloway had the potential for a bounce-back season on the Plains, but he’s going to instead try that at rival Alabama. Those matchups next year are going to be quite intense.

PG Tre Donaldson (transferred to Michigan)

6.7 PPG, 3.2 APG, 41.2% 3PT, 16.1 PER in 2023-24

Evenly splitting time with another player is never easy, and that goes double for point guard. But Holloway and Donaldson made it work for most of the season, with the latter taking a big-time step forward in almost all of his offensive statistics. Donaldson shot at least 40% from deep in back-to-back seasons, and he was a key part of lineups that created plenty of havoc on defense. With the Tigers going after experienced point guards in the portal, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Donaldson depart.

SG K.D. Johnson (transferred to George Mason)

7.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 13.2 PER in 2023-24

The KDJ experience was never, ever boring. While his outside shooting numbers took a step back in his third season on the Plains, Johnson posted a career-low in turnover percentage, finished with better efficiency at the rim and had his best defensive season to date. Johnson has transitioned well from former starter to explosive sixth man, and he had the option to play one more season of college ball. With traffic in the backcourt, Johnson elected to find another opportunity with his fifth year and will now play in the A-10.

SF Lior Berman (out of eligibility)

1.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 35.3% 3PT, 10.9 PER in 2023-24

Berman worked his way up to scholarship player during his time at Auburn, and his senior season featured some of his best play off the bench. He grabbed a role in the rotation, providing a much-needed boost of offense, but a major knee injury ended his final season early. Between his work on the scout team and his cameos with the main squad, the Tigers got good value in the unlikely form of a walk-on.

SG Denver Jones (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

Returning Players (7)

C Johni Broome (returning for fifth year)

16.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 32.5 PER in 2023-24 (Consensus Third Team All-American, First Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team, SEC Tournament MVP)

Broome could have gone pro after his first season at Auburn — especially after tearing up the draft combines — but he decided to come back to become an All-American and win a title. He did both, putting together one of the best all-around seasons for any player in the country. And now, the Tigers know they will bring him back for a fifth and final season of college basketball. The centerpiece of the roster is running it back.

C Dylan Cardwell (returning for fifth year)

5.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 25.0 PER in 2023-24

Cardwell turned in his best season at Auburn in Year 4, posting career-high per 40 numbers in points and blocks while also improving as a free-throw shooter. A highly energetic rim-runner and rim-protector, Cardwell allowed Auburn to stay strong at the 5 when Broome was on the bench — helping him be an even more efficient star. Cardwell had the option to come back for a fifth season as one of the last of the COVID waiver crowd, and he will do so. While he’s not an all-around center like Broome, Auburn will definitely use his services again next season.

PF Chaney Johnson (eligible for fifth year)

4.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 50% FG, 13.1 PER in 2023-24

With Williams standing out at the power forward spot, Johnson had plenty of time to make the big adjustment from the Division II ranks to SEC basketball. The light came on midway through conference play, and Johnson had several games where he really stood out with his wide variety of ways to score on offense. Grading out as one of Auburn’s better defenders and rebounders all season long, Johnson could be primed for a major jump next season. Considering Auburn listed him as a junior this season, even though he played three years at UAH, you should expect the hardest-working and most athletic Tiger back for 2024-25.

PF Addarin Scott (senior)

Appeared in 15 games in 2023-24

Auburn used one of its scholarship spots on Scott, a JUCO transfer, to bolster its deep reserves and scout team in 2023-24. Scott gave Auburn some major help in practices, as he has the size and athleticism to mimic a lot of Division I big men. Scott looked good in many of his late-game cameos with his fellow scout-teamers this season, and it will be interesting to see what the Tigers’ plans are for him next year.

SF Chad Baker-Mazara (returning for fifth year)

10.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 41.8% 3PT, 21.1 PER in 2023-24 (SEC All-Tournament Team)

While his early ejection from Auburn’s NCAA Tournament loss to Yale was a rough ending, Baker-Mazara was quite the breakout pickup for the Tigers. Whether he came off the bench or was in the starting lineup, Baker-Mazara was consistently the team’s No. 3 performer behind only Broome and Williams. Like Johnson, he was listed as a junior all season long, even though he was in his fourth year of college. A gifted three-level scorer with the length and grit to be a force on defense and on the boards, Baker-Mazara has the potential to be one of the top names in the SEC next season.

SF Chris Moore (returning for fifth year)

2.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 10.0 PER in 2023-24

The Junkyard Dawg had the option to come back for one more season of college ball, and he’s taking it. Moore went from regular starter to out of the rotation by the middle of SEC play, and Berman’s injury gave him an opportunity to step it up again. He had a great run at the SEC Tournament and looked much more confident on offense while keeping up his trademark brand of defense, rebounding and insane hustle. The ultimate glue guy and a vocal leader, Moore provides value that goes beyond his modest box scores.

SG Denver Jones (senior)

9.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 41.8% 3PT, 15.9 PER in 2023-24

Jones arrived at Auburn from FIU as one of the most prolific scorers in the entire country, but he focused on turning himself into a feared defender on an SEC team with a lot more offensive balance. Towards the end of his first season on the Plains, Jones became an even bigger piece of Auburn’s scoring puzzle and put up top-tier shooting numbers. Jones will be a true fourth-year senior in 2024-25, and you can already tell that the Tigers are banking on him to be a key player.

5-star Tahaad Pettiford (Instagram)

Positional Breakdown

PG: JP Pegues, Denver Jones/Tahaad Pettiford

SG: Denver Jones, Miles Kelly/Tahaad Pettiford

SF: Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly/Chris Moore, Jakhi Howard

PF: Chaney Johnson, Ja’Heim Hudson/Chris Moore

C: Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell

5/26 Update: Hudson’s arrival will round out a strong frontcourt in terms of depth and talent. Broome is back, and Auburn can truly dream big for the 2024-25 season. Three-fifths of the starting lineup will return, with Jones and Baker-Mazara also confirmed. Pegues’ arrival is the perfect move after the departures of Holloway and Donaldson in the transfer portal. Pearl said Pettiford would initially play off-ball, but that might change some with Kelly now on board. Howard looks like a 3 but could play a variety of positions. Versatility is the name of this team’s game.