Auburn Freshman Forward Planning to Enter Transfer Portal

Just two days after winning their first-ever NIT championship, the Auburn Tigers are set to lose one of their most intriguing players to the transfer portal.

Freshman forward Filip Jović is planning to enter the portal, per a report from On3 on Tuesday. Jović is the first Auburn player to announce his intention to depart from the Plains since the portal opened on Monday, April 7.

NEW: Auburn forward Filip Jovic plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @DraftExpress reports. https://t.co/dNGZ9tMw1O pic.twitter.com/tOA5dztNH0
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 7, 2026

Jović spent one season with the Tigers after coming over from Bosnia & Herzegovina, during which he averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as a true freshman. He played in 37 of Auburn’s 38 games this season, and he started in all five NIT games en route to the Tigers’ championship.

A few reports from On3 indicate that Jović’s agent is one of the main driving forces behind his portal entry, but Steven Pearl and staff may not believe his NIL value is as high as Jović’s team believes.

Jović played a massive role in Auburn’s NIT title run in the absence of starting center KeShawn Murphy, as he finished in double-figures in four of the Tigers’ five games. His most productive game came in the quarterfinals against Nevada, when he posted 18 points and nine rebounds in the win, before recording 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in the championship victory over Tulsa on Sunday.

The freshman was undoubtedly Auburn’s most improved player on the roster this season, and he proved to be one of its best frontcourt scorers down the stretch.

As expected, it took some time for Jović to become acclimated to a faster, more physical style of basketball in the United States, but he quickly adjusted and evolved into a strong offensive presence in the paint for the Tigers.

Many fans believe Jović stood as one of the players Pearl needed to retain this offseason, along with other Tigers such as Kevin Overton, Elyjah Freeman and Sebastian Williams-Adams.

However, assuming Jović doesn't elect to withdraw from the portal, Auburn will need to attack the portal hard for experienced, proven big men.

With Murphy out of eligibility, Williams-Adams and Emeka Opurum are Auburn’s only two frontcourt players remaining on the roster. The Tigers signed 7-footer Narcisse Ngoy from France last week, but nonetheless, they likely need to bring in multiple post players from the portal this offseason.