Auburn Loses Top 4-Star Basketball Target to Florida State

The Auburn Tigers have lost one of their top targets of the 2026 recruiting class.

Four-star combo guard Martay Barnes has committed to Florida State, according to an announcement by On3 on Thursday.

NEWS: 4⭐️ Martay Barnes has committed to Florida State, he told @Rivals.

The 6-2 combo guard is the No. 75 overall player in the 2026 class, per Rivals. https://t.co/Ncb7TtBzNJ pic.twitter.com/afk1sbaF4T
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) February 26, 2026

Barnes was a massive target for Steven Pearl and the Tigers, as he is ranked as the No. 90 player nationally and No. 9 combo guard in the 2026 cycle, per 247Sports. The Orlando, Fla., native is also listed as the No. 15 prospect from the Sunshine State.

In addition to Auburn and Florida State, the top-100 recruit held offers from schools such as Kansas, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, but he ultimately chose the in-state Seminoles.

Barnes narrowed his choice down to two schools – Auburn and Florida State – a few days before committing, and he actually took an official visit to the Plains for the Tigers’ thrilling 75-74 win over Kentucky last Saturday at Neville Arena. Three days later, Barnes made his way to Florida State for his official visit on Feb. 24, and he announced his pledge to the Seminoles on Feb. 26.

Auburn’s current 2026 recruiting class features just one signee in three-star small forward Caleb Williams. Per 247Sports’ rankings, Williams stands as the No. 30 small forward and No. 195 player nationally in the 2026 cycle, and he is rated as the No. 28 player from the state of Florida.

Outside of Williams, Auburn’s top target is certainly five-star Caleb Holt, but the likelihood that the Tigers are able to land the nation’s best small forward seems slim at the moment. However, other names to watch for include three-star point guard Jaylen Alexander and four-star small forward Christopher Washington Jr.

Assuming Barnes ultimately signs with Florida State, Auburn’s coaching staff will need to attack the transfer portal hard to rebuild its backcourt. The Tigers’ current guard spots consist of Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, as true freshman Kaden Magwood hasn’t seen minutes since Auburn’s loss to Texas A&M in early January.

Pettiford has certainly regressed since his standout freshman campaign last season, so it’s hard to predict what his next step looks like. At this rate, he’s most likely trending toward another year in college, but will he play that third season at Auburn? He will likely receive solid NIL offers from other schools trying to pull him into the portal at the conclusion of this year.

There’s no telling what route Magwood will take after this season, considering he hasn’t played in almost two months, while Overton could return next year for his senior campaign.

But either way, the Tigers will have to bring in at least two, maybe three, guards from the portal. An addition from the high school ranks would certainly be helpful, but nonetheless, the guard spot is undoubtedly setting up to be an area of emphasis this offseason.