Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford announced on social media that he is withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to the Tigers for his sophomore season, one of several high-profile players to make a last-minute decision about their draft status on Wednesday.
“I’m back,” Pettiford said on Instagram.
Joining him in returning to school are Kentucky’s Otega Oweh and San Diego State’s Miles Byrd.
Arkansas’ Adou Thiero, Penn State’s Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and RJ Luis Jr. of St. John’s, however, announced that they plan to stay in the draft pool, exhausting their collegiate careers.
The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and maintain college eligibility is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Pettiford was viewed as a second-round pick in this year’s draft. He said he plans to boost his stock during a second college season.
“I was happy to go through the process, getting feedback from NBA teams,” the 6-foot-1 Pettiford told ESPN. “Going back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher pick next year. It wasn’t 100 percent this year, so I didn’t want to take that chance.
“Being a short guard, it won’t be easy to play in the league, but I know I can do it. It’s maybe not the right time.”
Pettiford ranked third on Auburn in scoring at 11.6 points per game despite coming off the bench in 37 of his 38 appearances. He averaged a team-leading 3.0 assists per game and was second on the squad with 70 3-point baskets.
Auburn went 32-6 last season and reached the Final Four before losing to eventual national champions Florida 79-73.
The 6-4 Oweh, like Pettiford, drastically improves his team’s prospects via his 2025-26 return. The junior guard has improved his scoring output in every collegiate season, averaging 16.2 points per game for the 24-12 Wildcats a season ago. He played his first two seasons for Oklahoma before transferring to Kentucky last offseason.
He was widely considered a borderline second-rounder.
Byrd, a 6-7 wing, has been a member of the Aztecs’ NCAA regional semifinalist squad in 2023-24 and their national runners-up team in 2022-23 (both losers to eventual champion UConn).
His 2024-25 season was his best individually, as Byrd contributed 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on the offensive end and added 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game defensively in boosting his evaluation into the second round.
“We are very happy to have Miles returning to San Diego State for the 2025-26 season,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. “It was important that he meet with NBA teams and get their evaluations so he can continue his development in order to be able to fulfill his dream of playing at the next level. As we focus on earning another Mountain West championship in the upcoming season, this experience can only be positive for Miles and the Aztecs.”
Luis raised eyebrows by declaring for the draft, and will likely raise even more by staying in it, despite his status among draft observers as being a borderline prospect while conversely being highly coveted in the transfer portal.
The 6-7 guard led the Red Storm in scoring (18.2 ppg) as they bolted out to a 31-5 (18-2) record in winning the Big East. The Big East Player of the Year was very pointedly benched by coach Rick Pitino, however, late during the team’s 75-66 second-round loss to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament.
His shooting, inconsistent at the college level, is considered a big question.
On the other hand, flirting with the first round is Thiero, whose mix of size and athleticism makes him a more solid bet to get drafted on June 25. The former Kentucky guard followed John Calipari to Arkansas in 2024 and averaged career highs in points (15.1), rebounds (5.8) and assists (1.9) for the 22-14 Razorbacks.
Niederhauser, a 7-foot forward, strengthened his position with strong workouts in recent weeks and is ranked in the same range as Thiero. A product of Switzerland, Niederhauser played two seasons at Northern Illinois before transferring to Penn State for his junior season in 2024-25. He averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in 29 starts last season.
–Field Level Media
