Pearl has full roster for first time at Auburn

AUBURN | For a good portion of Bruce Pearl’s first five seasons at Auburn, he’s had to piece together a roster, bringing in graduate transfers and always being short of having a full roster of scholarship players.

That will change in year six.

With signees Babatunde Akingbola and Devan Cambridge enrolling this week, Pearl will have a full 13 scholarship player available to him when the Tigers open the season Nov. 5 against Georgia Southern.

“I have five seniors and eight newcomers. I’ve never had a roster like that,” Pearl said. “I have five returning players, all seniors, and eight newcomers because Jamal Johnson is a newcomer. He sat out last year.”

Johnson transferred from Memphis a year ago. Pearl’s big 2019 signing class included six freshmen and one junior college transfer, Javon Franklin, who is still rehabbing from leg surgery.

The true freshmen include Akingbola, Cambridge, Isaac Okoro, Jaylin Williams, Tyrell Jones and Allen Flanigan. Jones, who sat out this summer returning from a stress fracture, is cleared to begin team workouts this week.

Akingbola is a center, Williams a stretch-four, Cambridge, Okoro and Flanigan wings, and Jones a combo guard.

“Some guys that came here to play may not play right away, which is now the first time you really develop a program because now I’ve got a chance to redshirt a guy or even two and develop them,” Pearl said.

“Redshirting is like investing. It’s not a negative thing. You know it in football and when it comes to really great basketball programs, that’s what we do. I’ve never had the luxury of being able to but now we can, which really speaks to player development.”

One of the freshmen that won’t redshirting, assuming he remains healthy, is Okoro, who was a standout during team workouts this summer.

“Of the newcomers, Isaac Okoro will clearly standout physically being able to make the fastest adjustment to the college game,” Pearl said. “I’ve already said I that I think he’s a dominating defensive player, a dominating physical player and a winner. He’s a tough kid.

“Beyond that, a lot is going to depend on how it all shakes out as far as who is going to be out there and how much. This fall, we’ve got to let those guys answer those questions. I shouldn’t go in with too much preconceived notions because there’s going to be so much competition.”

Jones, who is expected to backup senior J’Von McCormick at point guard, is also slated to play an important role this season. The rest will all have an opportunity to earn a spot in the playing rotation this fall.

“All these freshmen, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” Pearl said. “What do they do, how do they grow and how do they develop. We’re going to need some of them this year to have some impact. We’re going to need all of them next year when we lose those five seniors — all of them.

“That’s a big part of this year for these freshmen. I need some of them to step in and I need all of them to be ready for next year.”

Team workouts began this week. Full preseason practices begin Sept. 24.