Legendary Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl has shockingly announced his retirement just over a month before the 2025-26 college basketball season begins. Now, Jon Scheyer and the Duke program should do everything in their power to get Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford over to Durham. Pearl's son, Steven Pearl, is set to take over as the next head coach of the Tigers, but with Pearl's sudden retirement, the 30-day transfer portal window for all Auburn players is now open. Pettiford is a star and may look elsewhere given the new staff. Scheyer, one of the best recruiters in college hoops, should do anything and everything that he can to get the sophomore to Duke before the season begins.
Jon Scheyer should go after Tahaad Pettiford following Bruce Pearl's sudden retirement
Pettiford was one of the most electric freshmen in college basketball a season ago, going from unknown rookie to must-see TV. The Jersey City native had NBA Draft interest in the early second round, but elected to head back to Auburn for another year in a lead role.
As a freshman, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 42.1% shooting from the field and 36.6% shooting from three point range. He's an extremely athletic lead guard with the ability to score from all three levels of the floor and defend at a high level at 6'1. His energy and tenacity on both sides of the ball would fit like a glove at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke has elite guard depth with Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, and Cayden Boozer. However, much of it is unproven potential compared to Pettiford. Foster is coming off a highly disappointing sophomore season, where he was unplayable for a good part of the second half of the campaign. Although Boozer has made bigger strides than potentially anyone else on the Blue Devils, he's a freshman who hasn't seen high-level college action yet.
That's where Pettiford comes in. Despite playing just 22 minutes a night, he was one of the most productive guys on a team that earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and made the Final Four. He's one of the most popular breakout candidates for this coming season, and deserves to play at the highest level.
Even though adding another guard will only crowd Duke's backcourt even more, Pettiford is an elite talent who has already proven to be able to lead a championship-caliber team. Experience is one of the biggest things the Blue Devils lack this season, and although Pettiford is just a sophomore, he's already got a championship-level pedigree.