With KeShawn Murphy graduating and Filip Jovic deciding to transfer to UCLA via the portal, Auburn is looking for a new forward who would make an immediate impact for the Tigers during the 2026-27 season.
Dwayne Aristode, a forward from Arizona, might be the one for Steven Pearl.
As On3 reports, the Tigers have made an early move for the 6-foot-8 Dutch player, who entered the transfer portal on Monday with a do-not-contact tag.
“Sources tell On3 that Auburn has emerged as the early school to watch in this recruitment. Steven Pearl has already lost four players to the portal and is looking to rework his roster after winning the NIT Tournament.
“Aristode has emerged as a top priority for Auburn.”
As a freshman for the Wildcats, Aristode averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 13.2 minutes per game. His best performance came in an 84-49 victory over Northern Arizona in November, when he scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.
Auburn making an early run at former 5-star Dwayne Aristode
In Arizona’s Final Four loss to eventual champion Michigan, he played 10 minutes, scoring three points while committing two turnovers.
Coming out of high school, Aristode was a composite 5-star recruit and ranked the No. 7 small forward in the 2025 signing class.
If Pearl was able to land Aristode, he would join Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton and Sebastian Williams-Adams, who have all made the decision that they will return to Auburn next season, along with French 7-foot signee Narcisse Ngoy, while Pearl hopes that Elyjah Freeman decides to stay as well.
In Pearl’s first season, Auburn had an up-and-down year, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 after a 7-11 SEC record, but finishing it off with an NIT title after beating Tulsa in overtime.
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