After beginning his career at Duquesne and San Diego State, Chad Baker-Mazara had to take a step back to Northwest Florida State College in the 2022-23 season before emerging from the junior college ranks to become a two-year contributor and a key piece of a Final Four run at Auburn last season. Now, the 25-year-old Baker-Mazara is back in the portal, and Bruce Pearl is looking back to the small-school ranks for his potential replacement on the wing at Auburn.
On Saturday, Pearl landed a transfer portal commitment from Elyjah Freeman, who starred at Division II Lincoln Memorial University. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged almost 20 points as a knockdown outside shooter with length and athleticism to get to the rim, but he’s still a significant risk as Pearl’s fourth member of this offseason’s transfer portal class.
BREAKING: Lincoln Memorial transfer Elyjah Freeman has committed to Auburn, sources told ESPN. 6-foot-8 wing averaged 19.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and shot better than 46% from 3-point range during his first season at the Division II level. pic.twitter.com/GPBHyKh5Ps
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 19, 2025
Auburn adds D2 wing Elyjah Freeman to transfer portal class
After leading the Tigers to their second Final Four in program history, Pearl was tasked with replacing his entire starting lineup. Baker-Mazara was the last key piece to depart, and multiple members of the incoming class fit the bill as his potential replacement. UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall is a skilled left-handed scorer at 6-foot-8, and Kevin Overton is a streaky shooter with impressive defensive acumen, but Freeman might be the most clear-cut substitute. Yet, that doesn’t mean this move is destined to succeed.
Freeman certainly deserved to make the move up from the D2 level after his first season at Lincoln Memorial, but a leap from D2 to the SEC is considerable. Last offseason, Pearl added JP Pegues from Furman in the Southern Conference with the expectations that he would be Auburn’s starting point guard, but Pegues was benched after the Maui Invitational and struggled to see the floor the rest of the season.
The SEC is a different beast altogether, especially last season, with 14 of the 16 teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. While Freeman doesn’t have the size or athleticism issues that plagued the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Pegues, it’s not unrealistic that he could suffer a similar fate, particularly in Year 1.
On the other hand, Freeman could blossom with the additional resources and coaching he receives at a top-tier program like Auburn. Bennett Stirtz, who followed his head coach Ben McCollum from D2 Northwest Missouri State to Drake, finished as an All-American honorable mention in Year 1 and is expected to star at Iowa in the Big Ten next season. Even the SEC has seen its share of small-school transfers take on significant roles for conference-title contenders in recent years.
While not a D2 program, Dalton Knecht arrived at Tennessee from Northern Colorado after beginning his career at a junior college, and Chaz Lanier just earned Second-Team All-SEC honors after transferring to Knoxville from North Florida. And then there’s Baker-Mazara, who was well-traveled when he arrived at Auburn from Northwest Florida State.
Pearl and his staff may need to be patient with Freeman as he transitions to the SEC, but this big risk could pay off in his favor.