Steven Pearl's Auburn Tigers roster may not be done adding talent, just three months before the start of the regular season. In the aftermath of U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado issuing a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit Wisne et al v. NCAA on Friday, all players from the 2022 high school class are now eligible again.
Two players, former Baylor Bears and Cincinnati Bearcats wing Dan Skillings Jr. and former Memphis Tigers, Kansas State Wildcats, and Michigan Wolverines point guard Dug McDaniel, are among players on the Tigers' radar.
"Dug 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," Jeff Goodman wrote. "Baylor’s Dan Skillings has already received interest from Washington, Auburn , ASU, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Miss state, GCU and Butler," Goodman added in another tweet.
Pearl's description of his team's identity, filled with journeymen who felt they were overlooked elsewhere, particularly at the mid-major level, matches the ethos of the pursuits of Skillings and McDaniel.
“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.
Now, would it be beyond Goodman to link players who realistically have no chance of choosing Auburn just to make it look like the Tigers swung and missed? Of course not. But there's no reason to think Pearl isn't looking at additional depth.
Surely, Pearl knows the weight the 2026-27 season holds on the Plains on the hardwood.
Steven Pearl is not backing down as Auburn's head coach
Steven's first non-Bruce roster that's solely under his purview reflects a coach who isn't afraid to play the modern recruiting game. After all, Pearl has an NBA draft pick on his team, French center Narcisse Ngoy, though unlike Nate Oats bringing back undrafted big man Charles Bediako last season, Ngoy is merely a future NBA player. Lithuanian wing Mantas Rubštavičius joins Ngoy on the roster, too. It's not his father's hoops, well, not until the end of Bruce's career, anyway, but it's what he needs to do.
Steven has now seen how his peers are navigating the system. Why not break ranks from traditional practices and do what's allowed?
Pearl has a reputation to live up to. Having been here for his father's rebuild and watching the university's football team crumble in real time, Pearl is doing everything possible to do right by his constituents in East Central Alabama.
Making late-offseason additions during this surprise portal window that may or may not be closed at any moment is the edge Pearl needs after the season he just had. NIT Tournament win and all.
We'll see who he ends up adding. All we know is that Pearl is looking, and that's a good thing. Steven's merely playing the recruiting game the way it's intended to be played in the NIL era.
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