Predicting Auburn's Top 3 Most Impactful Transfers Ahead of 2026-27

The Auburn Tigers have been extremely active in the transfer portal over the past few weeks since winning their first-ever NIT championship.

Steven Pearl and company have seen multiple players enter the transfer portal, including Sebastian Williams-Adams, Filip Jović, Elyjah Freeman, Emeka Opurum, Abdul Bashir, and Kaden Magwood, but they’ve also secured some key pickups from the portal along the way.

Auburn has brought in four transfers thus far with the signings of Vanderbilt’s George Kimble III, Troy’s Thomas Dowd, Creighton’s Owen Freeman, and Santa Clara’s Bukky Oboye. The Tigers have also signed French big man Narcisse Ngoy, but he didn’t necessarily commit through the transfer portal.

Despite the retention of its starting backcourt, as Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton have announced their intention to return next season, Auburn appears to have an extremely different team heading into Pearl’s second year.

Let’s take a look at Auburn’s portal haul by predicting the three additions who could have the largest impact in 2026-27.

3. Adam Olsen

South Alabama small forward Adam Olsen was a huge signing for Auburn after the departure of Freeman, who committed to the Texas Longhorns a couple of weeks ago.

Olsen, originally from Surrey, B.C., Canada, averaged 16.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in his first year with the Jaguars this past season. He also notched a 39.5% clip from beyond the arc, and his 3.3 made triples per game ranked No. 12 nationally.

For reference, Oklahoma guard Nigel Pack, who was the SEC’s leading 3-point shooter in 2025-26, averaged the same number of triples per game with 3.3.

Olsen brings a solid combination of size, as he stands at 6-foot-8, while also, obviously, presenting a massive threat from the perimeter. He could certainly help Auburn stretch the floor at the three-spot and will look to be one of the Tigers’ most productive scorers.

2. Narcisse Ngoy OR Bukky Oboye

Note: Narcisse Ngoy wasn’t a transfer, but for the sake of the list, he will be included as one of Auburn’s five additions.

Ngoy and Oboye will likely compete for the starting five as Auburn replaces its entire frontcourt with the departures of KeShawn Murphy, Opurum, Williams-Adams, and Jović.

Both Ngoy and Oboye present great size that the Tigers didn’t have this past season, with Ngoy being 7-foot and Oboye standing at 7-foot-1. Murphy was Auburn’s tallest contributor at 6-foot-11 last year, and its biggest forwards during the postseason were Williams-Adams and Jović, who are both 6-foot-8.

It remains unknown how much development and acclimation Ngoy will need, considering he’s from overseas, but he could definitely turn out to be a force down low for the Tigers.

Ngoy has been one of the most dominant players in the French Elite 2 League, averaging 10.8 points per game and leading the league in rebounds per game (11.5), blocks per game (2.5) and efficiency per game (21.2) while shooting 70% from the floor.

On the other hand, Oboye brings great length, rim protection, and experience, having started in 34 of Santa Clara’s 35 games last year. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 2025-26, as well as 1.2 blocks per outing. Oboye posted seven blocks in the Broncos’ win over Nevada in November.

It’ll be interesting to see which 7-footer prevails and takes the starting role, but they both have a chance to contribute heavily in Auburn’s frontcourt next year.

1. Thomas Dowd

Of all the portal additions that the Tigers brought in this offseason, Auburn fans should be most excited for Thomas Dowd, a 6-foot-8 forward from Troy.

Dowd has the opportunity to have the biggest impact on next year’s squad of Tigers due to his athleticism, versatility, and ability to effectively crash the glass. After spending three seasons with the Trojans, his junior year was certainly his breakout campaign, as he averaged 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in 2025-26.

The Dothan, Ala., native ranked No. 14 nationally in rebounds per game, which ultimately propelled him to 17 double-doubles on the year. Maybe one of his most impressive outings came against San Diego State, during which he recorded 25 points and 19 boards.

Dowd could also slide to the small forward position if necessary, but overall, he very well has the ability to be one of the Tigers’ best players next season.

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