Breaking: Morehead State transfer Johni Broome chooses Auburn over Florida

The Tigers have landed premier transfer Johni Broome from Morehead State.

On Saturday, Morehead State transfer Johni Broome announced that he was transferring to Auburn in an Instagram live with On3’s Joe Tipton. This comes just a day after he released his top two schools, the two programs being Auburn and Florida.

Broome played a key role in what the Morehead State program has been able to do over the past two seasons. As a freshman, Broome averaged 13.7 points per game and nine rebounds per game. This past season, he averaged an impressive 16.7 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, and 3.9 blocks per game. It is also worth noting that he was the OVC’s defensive player of the year for the 2021-22 season. Along with that accomplishment, he was also a First-Team All OVC selection for his production this past season.

The Tigers will likely plug Broome into the five-spot to replace future NBA draft pick Walker Kessler. Head coach Bruce Pearl has gotten two legitimate centers via the transfer portal. His size and defensive prowess will certainly be effective immediately for a Tigers team that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022. A frontcourt of Jaylin Williams, Yohan Traore, Dylan Cardwell, Chance Moore, and Broome could be the best in the conference as well as the entire country.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

When asked by On3’s Joe Tipton on why he chose Auburn, here is what Broome said:

“It felt like the right place for me to be and a place that I can call home…I’m ready to go to work.”

The Tigers will have a tough non-conference schedule early on, so it will be crucial for the team to gel sooner rather than later. With teams like Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee all expected to be better, the Tigers will have their hands full. The SEC is steadily improving each season. The coaching staff has done a phenomenal job with the changes throughout college basketball as well as the transfer portal. Now, they will look to have an even better season in 2022-23 with the addition of Broome to an already stacked frontcourt. The addition of Broome will definitely increase the team’s chances of winning the SEC and returning to the NCAA Tournament next season.