When Tahaad Pettiford decided to come back for his sophomore season, little did he know that he would be playing for a new head coach in Steven Pearl. Still, the guard is expected to be one of the top players in the country, returning to the Plains after a freshman season that saw him average 11.6 points and 3.0 assists per game, helping lead Auburn to the Final Four.
He is joined by practically a whole new cast, including UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall, for the 2025-26 season, as Auburn saw its entire starting lineup either graduate or transfer following last year.
Pettiford and Hall were recently named in CBS's top 100 players entering the new season, with Pettiford coming in at No. 15.
"Pettiford is the best player Bruce Pearl left his son, Steven Pearl, when the former announced his retirement last month, clearing the way for the latter to become a first-time head coach in the SEC," CBS wrote. "A 6-1 sophomore, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points and 3.0 assists last season while shooting 36.6% from 3-point range. His usage rate should spike with the departure of Johni Broome. Pettiford will need to be great for the Tigers to make a fifth straight NCAA Tournament. He's a clear candidate for SEC Player of the Year."
As for Hall, who is ranked No. 50, the site lets Auburn fans know what they are getting in the sharp-shooter.
"The leading scorer in the Big 12 (18.8 points per game), Keyshawn Hall left a bad UCF team to become the No. 2 guy with the reigning SEC regular-season champions. We are putting Hall fairly high on our list (he also averaged 7.1 rebounds as a 6-7 tweener forward), even knowing he'll be playing off Tahaad Pettiford in an intriguing season following the October retirement of Bruce Pearl. Hall is on his fourth team in four years: he started at UNLV, then went to George Mason before rebooting again in Orlando a year ago. The Mountain West-to-Atlantic 10-to-Big 12-to-SEC tour is emblematic of the college experience for so many players in this era."