Auburn guard KD Johnson plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Auburn Tigers point guard K.D. Johnson plans to enter the Transfer Portal, according to Joe Tipton.

Coming out of high school, K.D. Johnson was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, out of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. He was the 17th-ranked point guard and the 83rd-ranked player overall in that cycle.

Johnson started his career at Georgia, where he played in 16 games for the Bulldogs during his freshman season. That was the 2020-21 campaign and saw Johnson play 22.5 minutes per game while averaging 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. That season, he was honored by being placed on the All-SEC Freshmen Team.

He was coached by Tom Crean at Georgia before being coached by Bruce Pearl at Auburn.

Following that freshman season, Johnson transferred to Auburn where he played the next three seasons. In total, he played 102 games for the Tigers, starting 32 of them during that time. He’s averaged 22.4 minutes per game while at Auburn and averaged 9.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Going into the 2022-23 season, K.D. Johnson was on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.

This season, the Auburn Tigers went 27-8 and 13-5 in SEC play, winning the SEC Tournament after being tied for second during the regular season. However, Auburn was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64 after getting knocked out in the Tigers’ first game against Yale. Johnson had seven points in 26 minutes during that loss.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The Auburn Tigers and the Transfer Portal

The college basketball Transfer Portal opened up on Monday, March 18th, the day after Selection Sunday. However, most players on teams in competitive tournaments, like the NCAA Tournament, weren’t expected to enter until after their teams were eliminated. In total, the portal will be open for 45 days from when it initially opened.

Last season, a total of 1,842 men’s college basketball players entered the Transfer Portal. 

As of now, K.D. Johnson plans on entering the Transfer Portal and has not officially done so. When he does, Johnson will be the first Auburn player to enter the Transfer Portal during this cycle. Whether to replace Johnson internally or go out and recruit a new guard from the portal to replace Johnson will fall under the prerogative of head coach Bruce Pearl.