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Bruce Pearl, Auburn Receive Major Commitment News on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 28, 2025 1:49 PM ET

Bruce Pearl’s Tigers closed out the 2024-25 season as one of the nation’s most efficient and battle-tested teams.

Auburn posted a 32-6 overall record (15-3 SEC), claimed the SEC regular-season crown and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament before advancing to the Final Four for just the second time in school history.

Yet as Bruce Pearl’s squad celebrated its deepest March run in six years, the coach quickly began sketching out a near-total roster rebuild.

On Wednesday, that offseason blueprint took a major step forward when ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony reported on X that "Serbian big man Filip Jovic has committed to Auburn, agent Misko Raznatovic told ESPN."

NEWS: Serbian big man Filip Jovic has committed to Auburn, agent Misko Raznatovic told ESPN.

The 6'9, 20-year-old averaged 12.2 points (65% 2P%), 3.9 rebounds in 22 minutes for Mega SuperBet in the Adriatic League.

Experienced, physical, SEC-ready body for Bruce Pearl. pic.twitter.com/ZGMKo909sl
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 28, 2025

The 6-foot-9 forward, just 20 years old, spent the past two seasons with KK Mega SuperBet in the Adriatic League, where he averaged 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.1 minutes per game this year.

Jovic arrived in Belgrade from OKK Beograd in April 2023 and quickly established himself as a versatile frontcourt piece.

Jovic also boasts international pedigree as he represented Serbia at the FIBA U17 World Championship in 2022, averaging 12.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, then followed that up with a standout performance at the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2024, where he posted 14.8 points per game.

Entering the 2025-26 college basketball season, expectations remain sky-high for the Tigers, despite the roster turnover. Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Dylan Cardwell, Miles Kelly and Denver Jones, their five starters from last season, have all moved on from the program.

That said, Pearl has already replaced nine of 10 scholarships and orchestrated one of the country’s most active offseasons.

Auburn also hopes to retain difference-maker Tahaad Pettiford, who will decide soon whether to return or test the NBA Draft waters.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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