Auburn basketball GM Brian Kloman has been let go by the program after failing to disclose key details about Mantas Rubstavicius's eligibility. Rubstavicius has withdrawn his lawsuit against the NCAA and won't play for the Tigers during the 2026-27 season.
Reporting of what Kloman did, or rather didn't do, is absolutely damning.
"Sources told Auburn247 that Kloman was Rubstavicius' primary recruiter and knew that Rubstavicius had been enrolled in university courses in Europe, but did not make the rest of Auburn's staff aware. That fact came to light this week and significantly damaged Rubstavicius' case, and he will now be backing off legal action," Auburn247's Nathan King relayed.
Another Auburn hoops disaster means one thing: John Cohen must go
You can give AD John Cohen the slightest bit of grace for the football program going down in flames since he arrived. Cohen wanted Lane Kiffin in 2022, but Kiffin's family wanted him to stay at Ole Miss, and Hugh Freeze as Plan B was the result.
Cohen has at least made up for the Freeze era by hiring Alex Golesh as the fixer-upper. Golesh has a win over Georgia, after all.
The idea was there with Freeze, but Cohen did nothing to keep Freeze accountable. Star players did whatever they pleased, and the culture was dictated by salaries and not on-field achievement. Cohen did inherit the Bryan Harsin mess, though. That part of the job was tough.
To see what's become of the basketball program has been a true eye-opener, however. Cohen botched the handoff from Bruce Pearl to Steven, and the 2025-26 season suffered for it. Now, the 2026-27 season has already taken a massive hit before it's even begun.
How does leadership fail across the board like this? Kloman essentially went rogue, Steven didn't account for it, and then Cohen didn't check to see where the school's NIL funds were going. A chunk of the budget was used on a player who can't suit up.
This is a failure all around, but it falls mostly on Cohen. He took the one major revenue sport that was rocking, and he turned it into a non-playoff team.
Cohen has to go. This is insulting at this point.
Steven Pearl is under the gun in 2026-27 if Auburn doesn't turn it around
Steven is far from blameless here.
Even though Kloman was rightfully removed, Pearl's program has had plenty of problematic storylines so far. Keyshawn Hall and KeShawn Murphy made too much noise last year for being undisciplined.
The 2026-27 season needs to be a prove-it year for Pearl. If he doesn't make tangible progress, he shouldn't be ingrained in the head coaching seat.
He has a much better roster this season, even without Rubstavicius. If he can't win with this roster, he shouldn't be able to ride on his father's coattails any longer.
AU needs a savior at AD. If the next AD isn't impressed with the nepotistic handoff of Auburn basketball, Steven may need to fend for himself in the job market.
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