Who is Elyjah Freeman? Meet Bruce Pearl's latest Division 2 level transfer portal addition

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl secured the commitment of Lincoln Memorial transfer wing Elyjah Freeman on Saturday. The 6-foot-8 forward excelled in his Division II stint as a freshman, averaging 18.9 points and 8.7 rebounds to be named South Atlantic Conference Freshman Player of the Year.

The No. 128th-ranked overall transfer and No. 26 small forward shot 59% from the floor and 46% from the 3-point line. He ranked third in the conference in rebounding and fourth in steals.

The Wellington, Florida native made his decision after he visited Tennessee on Wednesday. SEC rivals Alabama and Kentucky also expressed interest in acquiring Freeman.

Freeman, who made his first visit to the Tigers' facility on April 11, becomes the fifth Auburn commit from the transfer portal after acquiring Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy, Emeka Opurum and Kevin Overton. The transfer commits have compensated the three Tigers players who announced they are venturing to the transfer portal to find better chances of playing with another program.

They are Chad Baker-Mazara, Addarin Thomas and Jahki Howard. The transfer portal will close on Tuesday.

Auburn, led by power forward Johni Broome, won the SEC regular season and made the Final Four this past season, losing to eventual national champion Florida, 79-73, in the national semifinals.

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Auburn continues to build on its reputation for developing big men

If there is one thing that stands out about Auburn in recent years is its track record on developing big men. Since coming to Auburn, Bruce Pearl has worked with the likes of Austin Wiley, Walekr Kessler, Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome.

Focusing on the development of its big men has helped the Tigers surge up the Top 25 rankings in the past few years and the team has figured in SEC conference contention.

This season, Auburn secured the commitment of 6-foot-10 big Keshawn Murphy, who played for three seasons with Mississippi State. In his last season, Murphy tallied 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks.

Pearl also picked up Butler Community College stalwart Emeka Opurum, who might have four years of his eligibility intact thanks to the JUCO rule change. Pearl described the seven-footer as a player with a great upside, wingspan, footwork and timing on the defensive side.

Auburn will reopen its big man classes during the offseason and coach Bruce Pearl will happily preside over the sessions and development of its new acquisitions for the 2025-26 season.