After falling short in the 2025 Final Four, Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers faced significant offseason losses to their roster.
All-American forward Johni Broome concluded his collegiate career after five years, and standout freshman forward Tahaad Pettiford declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Given the modern landscape of college basketball and the influence of name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities, major roster changes are to be expected. Still, Pearl had hoped senior forward Chaney Johnson might return for another season.
“We’re certainly going to go through the process about seeing whether or not Chaney would be eligible for another year,” Pearl said in March. “We’re definitely going to go through the process.”
Ultimately, Johnson was deemed ineligible for an additional year and announced on Monday that he, too, would be entering the NBA Draft.
“From UAH to Auburn, I’ve been blessed to grow as both a player and a man,” Johnson shared on Instagram. “The lessons, the challenges, and the brotherhood I’ve gained will stay with me forever… After prayerful consideration, I’m excited to announce that I am declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft. This is just the beginning — and I’m stepping into it with faith, fire, and full commitment.”
Pettiford, Johnson’s roommate during his one season at Auburn, responded with emotion, commenting, “gon miss my roommate,” and later adding, “go get what’s yours brudda.”
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Johnson began his collegiate journey in 2020 at Division II Alabama Huntsville before transferring to Auburn in 2023. He became a key contributor off the bench, averaging 9.1 points on 56.7% shooting, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 23.4 minutes per game during the 2024–25 season.
With the NCAA draft withdrawal deadline approaching on Wednesday, Auburn is expected to receive a final decision from Pettiford soon.