Johni Broome is back. Auburn's dreams can be as big as he is.

All-Americans usually don't return for one more season. But this is a special time, and Auburn is going to have a special player once again.

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C Johni Broome (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

Players like Johni Broome usually don’t come back for one more season.

In 1999, Chris Porter and Doc Robinson both landed on multiple All-American teams after the Tigers ran to the Sweet 16 and finished in the top-five of the final AP poll. They ran it back for another season on the Plains.

That was also the last time Auburn had a player who was a first-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches return for another year. Samir Doughty was out of eligibility. Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler both became first-round NBA Draft picks.

When Smith and Kessler were named All-Americans in 2022, they were the first big men from Auburn to earn that honor since the legendary Charles Barkley in 1984.

It only took Auburn two years to get another.

Broome could have easily left Auburn as one of the best — if not the best — true center to ever lace them up for the program. His 2023-24 season was statistically one of the most all-around dominant in the Tigers’ history.

Some of these advanced numbers only go back a couple of decades. But Broome is currently Auburn’s all-time career leader in overall box plus/minus (11.5), offensive box plus/minus (7.0) and player efficiency rating (29.8). The only player ahead of him in defensive box plus/minus (4.8) is his backup, Dylan Cardwell.

Broome is also No. 2 in Auburn history in defensive rebounding percentage (24.3%). He is No. 4 in offensive rebounding percentage (12.0%). He’s third in win shares per 40 minutes (.230), and he’s second in blocks per game (2.3). He’s got a top-five mark in effective field goal percentage (56.2%). He’s No. 10 in assist percentage (15.4%) — as a 6-foot-10 center.

In almost every other period of college basketball history, Broome is already riding off into the sunset. He played two seasons at Morehead State before two seasons at Auburn. Four is, traditionally, the limit for eligibility.

But the Tigers landed him at just the right time, and they’re going to be able to maximize the last season of the COVID waiver era.