Former Auburn forward Elyjah Freeman is staying in the SEC, but he’ll be wearing a different shade of orange next season after announcing on Sunday that he’s transferring to Texas.
Freeman hit the portal after just one year at Auburn, where he posted 9.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game across 38 appearances, including 21 starts. The former Division II standout played a major role in Auburn’s NIT championship run, logging all 40 minutes in both the second-round win over Seattle and the quarterfinal victory against Nevada. Across those two contests, he totaled 34 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks.
Elyjah Freeman heads to SEC rival Texas
The decision raised some eyebrows, especially after Freeman said he was “locked in” with Auburn following the Tigers’ 92–86 overtime win over Tulsa in the NIT title game. Despite that, he entered the portal days later. Assistant coach Steven Pearl had been hopeful Freeman would return for a second year under his guidance.
“I would love for him to be here next year because he’s going to be a really good player,” Pearl said. “I’m proud of him for continuing to step up and show what he can do.”
Even when Freeman wasn’t scoring during the NIT run, he impacted the game in other ways, pulling down 10 boards in the opening-round win over South Alabama.
“The last two games, he’s done a great job taking advantage of the opportunity,” Pearl added. “He’s been great. I got on him a few times defensively, but part of that is because he’s exhausted out there. Still, 15 points and I loved how aggressive he was driving.”
Freeman now joins a Texas squad coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, where the Longhorns narrowly fell to No. 2 seed Purdue, 79–77.
