Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers basketball program will look almost unrecognizable during the 2025-26 season relative to AU's recent Final Four roster. And it goes beyond the fact that the team's entire starting five is gone. Assistant Chad Prewett has left hoops altogether to pursue a "higher calling."
The constants from last year: Bruce, Steven, and Tahaad Pettiford. Other than that, there will be a fresh set of faces with new roles the team must navigate.
One of the most intriguing new faces is Serbian big man Filip Jovic, the first player since the 2014-15 season Pearl recruited who didn't attend high school in the United States. Pearl announced his signing with great fanfare, making the logical comparison to Nikola Jokic, who played for the same Serbian club during his pro career.
What will Filip Jovic's role on the Auburn Tigers be?
According to the Auburn Observer's Justin Ferguson, Jovic will be a combo big with enough versatility to see the floor at the 4 or 5 spots.
"Jović projects as a 4 who could play some small-ball 5 in certain lineups. He is shorter than both Mississippi State transfer KeShawn Murphy and JUCO signee Emeka Opurum, but he looks more like a prototypical frontcourt player than UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall or Division II standout Elyjah Freeman," Ferguson wrote.
"It’s unknown how Jović will translate to life in the SEC, as it’s not typical for overseas players to make this sort of jump. Defending national champion Florida has had some success with similar European imports, with Urban Klavzar being the most notable example as a sixth man last season."
This to say: Jovic will be an impact player for the 2025-26 season, which has the potential to be the most successful Pearl has had yet after a stellar transfer portal haul and one of Pearl's most complete high school/international recruiting class he's ever had.