War Eagle—the cry still echoes in Auburn, though the warriors who once bellowed it are long gone. Johni Broome has declared for the NBA Draft. So has Tahad Pettiford. Miles Kelly, Dylan Cardwell, and Denver Jones? All out of eligibility. The pieces that once held Bruce Pearl’s Tigers together are now scattered like a broken zone defense. The heart of the offense is gone. The veteran leadership has moved on. And the team’s defensive anchor? Entering the portal. Pearl’s entire starting five from a No. 1 seed NCAA tournament team is officially off the roster. In the world of college hoops, rebuilds are expected—but rarely is the reset button hit this hard, this fast.

Now, the last of Auburn’s battle-tested starting five has turned the page—Chad Baker-Mazara, the big guard with a flamethrower jumper and Final Four scars to prove it, has entered the transfer portal. Not the NBA. Not graduation. Just gone, one year left, looking elsewhere.

However, as one door slams shut on Pearl’s golden generation, another creaks open—and stepping through it is Elyjah Freeman, a Division II dynamo with a scorer’s soul and a chip on his shoulder. From Palm Beach to the Lincoln Memorial to the Plains, Freeman’s journey has been anything but conventional. But if there’s one thing Bruce Pearl has mastered over two decades of coaching, it’s identifying hidden gems who don’t flinch when the lights get brighter.

As reported by Justin Hokanson on X, Bruce Pearl stated, “Elyjah Freeman is your classic late bloomer….He was under recruited out of high school, goes to Lincoln Memorial and just does a tremendous job. One of the best offensive players in all of Division II basketball as a freshman. Elyjah is an incredibly hard worker, dedicated and driven. He’s got some instincts that are hard to teach.”

Freeman’s numbers back it up. As a freshman, he averaged 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on 57% shooting from the field. From deep, he hit 46% of his threes on 57 attempts, and knocked down 81% from the free-throw line. A 6’8” weapon who plays with the twitch of a guard and the body of a forward, Freeman has the tools to fill multiple roles. “He also has the size of a forward, but he will play a big guard position for Auburn,” Pearl added. “Incredible mom and great support at home. He was one of the best young players we evaluated in the portal this year.”

The fit? Natural. The expectations? Enormous. “It was definitely amazing,” Freeman said after his official visit (source: on3.com). “The coaching staff is great, the relationships they built are great, everyone. BP’s loyalty and what he brings to Auburn is amazing. It was great.”

If Auburn’s locker room is going to develop new chemistry in record time, it’ll require more than just buckets and boards. Freeman seems to get that. “Sitting down with the coaches and converse with them like humans, like family, and chopping it up with some of the players—that is something you can’t write down,” he said. “Coaches, players, they treat you like family when you show up. They build on the same thing. Culture, relationships, the fun you have on and off the court, then turning you into a pro at the end of the day.”

With Freeman, Pearl has added a rare kind of player: a Division II standout with pro potential and a hunger to prove himself on the game’s biggest stage. He joins UCF’s Keyshawn Hall, Mississippi State’s KeShawn Murphy, Texas Tech’s Kevin Overton, and JUCO big man Emeka Opurum in a new-look roster. Auburn isn’t reloading—it’s rebuilding from scratch.

Chad’s gone. Pearl’s rebuild begins in the NIL storm

But what forced this complete reset? What really drove Chad Baker-Mazara—Auburn’s poised-to-be cornerstone—out the door?

Just weeks ago, the 6’7″ guard had Tiger Nation buzzing when he teased a return, tweeting “2025/26 War Eagle?” with a sly eyes emoji. With Johni Broome off to the NBA and Auburn’s starting five scattered, Baker-Mazara had every reason to stay. He wasn’t just a returning player—he was next in line to own the offense. After averaging 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists—plus his cold-blooded 18-point performance against Florida in the Final Four—he was supposed to be the guy.

So, why walk away from all that?

In a word: money.

According to Mike G, Show Host of the war rapport, Baker-Mazara’s exit wasn’t about fit, future, or minutes—it was about NIL. A deal had reportedly been signed, but his camp began shopping for something bigger, banking on a breakout Final Four run to boost his market value. “There’s more to come on this in the next week or so—but welcome to the NIL era,” Mike G tweeted.

The decision stings, but Bruce Pearl saw it coming. On Fox News Channel’s Special Report with Senator Tommy Tuberville, he didn’t hold back: “We’re teaching kids to flee, not fight.”

And the numbers? They’re not whispers—they’re cannon blasts. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported that nearly 300 players jumped into the portal on Day One last year. By season’s end? Over 2,000 had followed. And the payout? For some, it was nothing short of wild. Great Osobor, the Mountain West Player of the Year, cashed in with a $2 million NIL deal to suit up for Washington, becoming the highest-paid known player in college hoops at the time.

Fast forward to this year, and the stakes are even crazier: JT Toppin is reportedly raking in $4 million to return to Texas Tech, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. That’s not just a bag—it’s a Brinks truck. And it’s nearly double last year’s top publicly known payday. Welcome to the new era of college basketball: part hoops, part high-stakes bidding war.

And now, the rebuild begins.