3 players Bruce Pearl missed out on from Spring transfer portal
Auburn Tiger's head coach, Bruce Pearl, has been very active in the Spring transfer portal after losing three players to it. Pearl, who has been at Auburn since 2015, has led the team to five NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure.
During the offseason, Pearl has secured the services of new talents like Tahaad Pettiford, Jahki Howard, and JP Pegues for the 2024 campaign. However, despite his efforts, there were players that the head coach missed out on in this transfer season.
3 players Bruce Pearl missed out on from Spring transfer portal
#1, Great Osobor
With Auburn looking for depth at the forward position, Great Osobor could have been a great addition to their roster for the upcoming season. He remains within reach as he has yet to finalize his new program, although Washington is predicted to be the frontrunner to secure his services.
Osobor used to play for Myerscough College during high school, where he averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. After that, he played for the Bradford Dragons in the NBL Division I, where he averaged 16.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
In 2021, he turned down offers from UNC Greensboro, Princeton, and UTSA and committed to Montana State where he averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds per game in his freshman year. Subsequently, he committed to Utah State for the 2023-24 season, where he averaged 17.7 points per game and was named the Mountain West Player of the Year (2024).
#2, Omaha Biliew
Omaha Beliew committed to Wake Forest after entering the transfer portal from Iowa State. He was a five-star recruit in the class of 2023 and could have been an excellent backup for former Auburn player Chaney Johnson. Hailing from West Des Moines, Iowa, Biliew played for Dowling Catholic, Waukee, and Link Year Prep in high school.
Biliew was a part of the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game in his senior year. Despite receiving offers from prestigious programs like Kansas and Oregon, he committed to Iowa in 2023. However, during the 2023-24 season, he saw limited playing time and averaged 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game. Following the season, he entered the transfer portal on March 31.
#1, Johnell Davis
Born in Big Sandy, Montana, Johnell Davis is known for his ability to shoot from beyond the arc in collegiate basketball. He entered the transfer portal from Florida Atlantic in the AAC Conference and committed to Arkansas for the upcoming season.
Davis could've been a valuable addition to add depth at the front for Bruce Pearl and Auburn. During his high school days with 21st Century Charter School, he averaged 31.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
In his collegiate career, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in his freshman year for Florida Atlantic. In his sophomore year, he averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
However, he displayed his true excellence on the hard court in the 2023-24 season, where he averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. As a result, he was named the AAC co-Player of the Year 2024. He also made it to the First-team All-AAC and was the Conference USA Sixth Player of the Year (2024).