Bruce Pearl's Auburn adds SMU transfer Ja'Heim Hudson ahead of 2024-25 college basketball season

After a strong regular season, the Auburn Tigers saw their 2024 March Madness journey end in the first round. They concluded the 2023-24 Southeastern Conference season with a 13-5 record and a 27-8 overall. The Tigers finished second in the SEC and won the SEC Tournament after beating Florida 86-67.

The end of the NCAA Tournament marked the beginning of the transfer season, where the Tigers lost some of its star players like Aden Holloway, K.D. Johnson and Tre Donaldson. However, the Tigers have filled the forward position with SMU transfer Ja'Heim Hudson.

Hudson started his collegiate journey at Georgia State. The 6-foot-7 forward played two seasons with the Panthers and averaged 7.7 points per game. In December 2022, he posted eight points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes against the Tigers.

After Georgia State, Ja'Heim Hudson transferred to SMU for a season, averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Entering the transfer portal again, he has joined Auburn and will carry two years of eligibility. Hudson announced his decision via his social media handle.

At SMU, Ja'Heim Hudson played 31 games and averaged 15.2 minutes per game. He secured 43.4% of his shots from the field while converting 32.1% from beyond the arc. Hudson is expected to provide the front-court depth to Auburn and compete with Chaney Johnson for the power forward spot.

After missing out on Texas forward Dillon Mitchell, who joined Cincinnati, and RJ Godfrey, who committed to Georgia, the Tigers had to go with Hudson after he visited the program's campus on Wednesday.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl had only good things to say about Hudson.

"Talking to the last three coaches Ja'Heim has played for - in high school, at Georgia State and at SMU - I respect all three coaches and all three said he was one of their favorites," said Pearl.

"He is a great person, great worker, and great teammate. Stepping up another level, he brings great depth to our front line and has two years of eligibility remaining. He will definitely make an impact on our program and bring another level of toughness to our team."

Who are the incoming players for Auburn other than Ja'Heim Hudson?

JP Pegues committed to Auburn after rejecting major offers from Florida, South Carolina and Oklahoma. He was one of the major signings for the program in this transfer portal after playing three seasons with Furman. Pegues announced his commitment to the Tigers via his social media handle.

In his collegiate career, Pegues averaged 11.4 points per game, securing 41.7% from the field. In the 2023-24 season for Furman, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He made 42.0% of his field goal attempts while securing 36.2% of his 3-point attempts.

Other than Hudson and Pegues, the Tigers have also signed four-star recruits Tahaad Pettiford and Jahki Howard.