Bruce Pearl's Auburn landing KeShawn Murphy from transfer portal leaves Alabama fans fuming: "NATE OATS GET IN THAT LOCKER" 

Bruce Pearl and his Auburn Tigers landed a big-time transfer in former Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy. A Birmingham, Alabama native, Murphy will return to his home state after spending three seasons in Starkville.

On3's Joe Tipton reported the news Tuesday on X/Twitter that Murphy committed to play for Pearl and the Tigers next season.

However, a certain segment of Alabama fans was not happy to see one of the state's talents head to Auburn to play for their arch-rivals.

Here is a look at what some of them were saying under Tipton's post on X.

"NATE OATS GET IN THAT LOCKER," one fan wrote.

"Wasn’t a take at Bama. Good luck to him," one fan said.

"Bama lock we were told," another fan joked.

"Un loyal sellout," one fan added.

"I thought he’d come to Bama, but it’ll be interesting to see the Auburn haters I had for wanting Murphy and how they change their tune now," another fan commented.

"GET READY TO CALL GOD BUDDY," one fan added.

Murphy, who averaged 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a junior for the Bulldogs this past season, will have one year of eligibility remaining to make an impact.

Bruce Pearl confident in KeShawn Murphy's fit within Auburn's evolving system

With Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell departing the program, Bruce Pearl knew he needed to add to his frontcourt this offseason. After KeShawn Murphy entered the transfer portal last week, Pearl and his staff wasted no time reaching out.

Pearl has been keeping tabs on the 6-foot-10 big man from Mississippi State for a while now and even compared him to former Auburn standout Jaylin Williams.

"I’ve known KeShawn Murphy since he was a ninth grader and watched him develop in high school and continue to improve at Mississippi State," Pearl said via Waka.com. "He is one of the most efficient players in our league. He impacts the game on both the offensive and defensive ends.

"I am really excited about the prospect of continuing to develop another big man in the lines of Chuma Okeke, JT Thor, Jabari Smith, Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome. KeShawn is a great young man from a wonderfully supportive family," he added.

Bruce Pearl led the Tigers to the program's second Final Four appearance after posting a 32-6 overall record and winning the SEC regular season title this season. They lost to eventual champion Florida in the national semifinals.