Steven Pearl Names Auburn Basketball’s Two Leaders Ahead of 2026 Season

The Auburn Tigers will be relying on these two names to lead their team in the second season of the Steven Pearl era.

Auburn Tigers guards Tahaad Pettiford (0) and Kevin Overton (1) will be critical to the program's success in the 2026-26 season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Auburn Tigers are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season, in which the program was relegated to the NIT after struggling to put up wins in big games. To their credit, the Tigers were almost entirely composed of new players, a trend that is largely set to continue in 2026.

Several new Tigers will be on the roster this year after many of the Tigers’ expected starters transferred away, but two starters from last season will remain and may play an even bigger role in Auburn’s success this season: Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton.

“You can kind of see Tahaad and KO trying to grasp onto that leadership role that we have really been pushing them towards this summer,” Pearl said. “I think they are trying to lead, which has been encouraging. I think our guys respect them … Those guys understand what we’re doing. I see a different level of maturity up to this point for those two, which is something I would like for them to continue to build off of.”

Pettiford has been with the Tigers ever since signing to their program out of high school in New Jersey, and has been the poster child of the program since the day he stepped onto campus. His production has certainly bolstered his fame on the Plains, and he is looking to continue that trend as he heads into his junior season with Pearl and company.

Overton, on the other hand, never played under Bruce Pearl, as Pettiford did. Rather, he transferred to the Tigers ahead of last season after spending his freshman year at Drake and his sophomore season at Texas Tech. Overton started 36 of the 28 games he appeared in for the Tigers, setting career-high game averages across the board.

These two are the only major contributors from last season who will play with the Tigers in 2026, and Pearl believes their impact and leadership could have a massive effect on the team’s success.

“It’s their team,” Pearl said. “Those are the two guys that came back from last year. They’ve got to make this team what they want it to be. The best teams we’ve had have been player-led teams. We, as coaches, can only do so much. The guys that do it internally, that’s when you have something special… I’m looking for them to continue to do that as the summer goes on.”

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