Class of 2024 No. 2 PG Tahaad Pettiford signs National Letter of Intent with Auburn
Tahaad Pettiford, who is ranked the No. 2 point guard in the country, has signed a National Letter of Intent with Auburn basketball, he confirmed to Auburn Live.
Pettiford signed an NLI with the Tigers Wednesday morning, the first day of the week-long early signing period. He had been committed to Auburn since February.
“It feels amazing,” he told Auburn Live. “I can’t wait to get on campus and be part of the team and get coached by Coach Bruce Pearl and hopefully win a national championship.”
Pettiford chose Auburn over offers from dozens of top schools, including UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, UCLA and Seton Hall. He never wavered on his commitment.
“Some people have doubts or second guess their decisions,” he said. “I didn’t. I felt like Auburn is the spot for me.”
Relationships important for Pettiford
Two big reasons he felt confident in his decision is Pearl and assistant Ira Bowman. The two coaches developed strong bonds with Pettiford.
“Coach Pearl is like a friend and a coach, anything you need him to be,” Pettiford said. “He’s always there for you. That’s the type of coach I want to be coached by. He can relate to me on and off the court if I need him to talk about basketball or my personal life. He made me feel welcomed. Not every coach I spoke to during my recruitment made me like he did.
“And Coach Bowman is the same way. He is like another friend, but also a coach at the same time. The type of impression he made when he first started to recruit me was amazing. He told me he’s going to coach me and push me, but he’s also always going to be there for me off the court. That was something that I took into consideration. I know that I have someone besides Coach BP (Pearl) to lean on, as well as the rest of the coaching staff.”
Next move: Auburn in May
Pettiford now will focus on his senior season before moving to Auburn in the summer.
“I graduate in June, but I get out of school in May,” he said. “I will be in Auburn in May for the summer courses and then come back home in June to graduate. My graduation ceremony is in June.”
Pettiford said he’s currently 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds.
The On3 Industry Ranking, which is a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, ranks Pettiford the No. 23 overall recruit in the ’24 class and No. 2 in New Jersey.
Auburn also could add a second signee to the class on Wednesday. Four-star forward Jahki Howard is set to announce a decision at 11:30 a.m. CT. Auburn is believed to be the overwhelming favorite to land his signature.
