AUBURN | Auburn will return a player from last season’s Final Four team.

Tahaad Pettiford has withdrawn from the 2025 NBA Draft and will return for his sophomore season, he announced on Instagram.

Pettiford was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team last season averaging 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.9 steals in 22.9 minutes per game off the bench.

Auburn’s backup point guard and part-time shooting guard shot .421 from the floor, .366 from three-point range and .804 from the free throw line.

In five NCAA Tournament games, Pettiford averaged 15.2 points and 3.6 assists. His 23 points against Creighton set an Auburn record for a freshman in the NCAA Tournament.

Pettiford was one of 75 players selected to attend the NBA Draft Combine where he posted the second-best vertical at 42 inches. He scored 23 points and had eight assists and two steals in the opening scrimmage.

In their post-Combine mock draft, ESPN projected Pettiford to go to the Detroit Pistons in the second round with the 37th overall pick.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl spoke about Pettiford’s decision at his charity golf tournament last week.

“He's still in the same position he's been in the whole time. And that is if he can get in the first round, he's gonna go. And if he can get in the first round, he should go,” said Pearl. “If he doesn't feel and his folks don't feel like he is gonna be in there in the 20s somewhere, then he'll come back.

“If he does come back, he's going to have to play an expanded role, which I know is something that is exciting to him and probably exciting to our fan base, too, because we'll get to see more of him. He'll be a starter. There will be more on him.”

Auburn has added 10 newcomers to the roster for the 2025-26 season including four transfers, an international signee, two junior college signees and three true freshmen signees.