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Tahaad Pettiford Has Message for Departing Auburn Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 8:41 PM ET

Auburn’s 2024-25 campaign ended in the Final Four, powered in part by veteran transfer Miles Kelly and freshman sparkplug Tahaad Pettiford.

Kelly, a former Georgia Tech standout, averaged double figures and delivered clutch shots, while Pettiford earned SEC All-Freshman honors as the Tigers' backup point guard.

Auburn closed with a 32-6 record, won the SEC regular-season crown and advanced to the national semifinals before falling to Florida.

Coach Bruce Pearl was named SEC Coach of the Year, and Johni Broome earned SEC Player of the Year.

Pettiford’s recent Instagram story featured an image of Kelly with the caption “mf brudda ”, showing love to his former teammate as Kelly moves on from Auburn.

Kelly transferred from Georgia Tech, where he was an All-ACC honorable mention in 2024 and Georgia Tech’s leading scorer at 13.9 PPG with 5.5 RPG as a junior.

At Auburn, Kelly made an immediate impact: 21 points on 7-of-9 three-point shooting in his debut and a season-high 30 points with nine triples against Kentucky on March 1.

He finishes his lone Auburn season averaging 11.3 PPG and ranking among the SEC’s top shooters, knocking down 37.8% of his three-point attempts.

Freshman guard Pettiford, on the other hand, starred off the bench, averaging 11.6 PPG, 3.0 APG, and shooting 42.1% FG and 36.6% from deep.

He was a McDonald’s All-American out of Hudson Catholic (NJ) and the No. 2 point guard in 247Sports' 2024 composite rankings.

In the NCAA Tournament, Pettiford’s playmaking and timely scoring were vital in Auburn’s run to the Final Four.

He has since declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.

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

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