After three seasons at Auburn, guard K.D. Johnson will enter the transfer portal for his fifth and final season of eligibility in college basketball. Johnson marks the first player for Bruce Pearl’s program to enter the portal since the conclusion of the season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson announced he would enter the transfer portal on Instagram.
Johnson, a transfer from Georgia, was a part of two SEC championship seasons at Auburn, the regular season title in 2021-22 and the tournament title this past season, as well as played in the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons.
Known for his aggressive defense, the Atlanta native led the Tigers in steals this season with 39.
Johnson’s role dwindled over his three seasons at Auburn due to the Tigers' style of depth, averaging only 17.7 minutes per game this season compared to 27.8 minutes on the floor during the 2021-22 season.
The guard’s point production followed a similar trend, dropping from 12.3 points per game in his first season as a Tiger to 7.1 this year.
Playing in 102 games at Auburn, the seasoned veteran’s statistically best performance came in Auburn’s first loss of the 2021-22 season when Johnson scored 27 points in a double overtime loss to UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. In 38 minutes of action, Johnson shot 7-of-16 from the field, had 11 points come courtesy of the charity stripe and recorded five steals against the Huskies.
Pearl and his staff have already begun contacting players in the transfer portal following their season-ending upset loss to Yale and will look to find depth at the guard position to fill the void Johnson leaves as well as replacing graduate seniors Lior Berman and Jaylin Williams.
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
