Auburn forward Johni Broome trolls Alabama following Cliff Omoruyi commitment

On Sunday, Alabama landed a commitment from from former Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi, via the NCAA Transfer Portal. While fans around the nation raved about the addition, Auburn forward Johni Broome wasn’t impressed.

“That’s it? 🤔” Broome wrote on X.

Despite Broome’s comment, Omoruyi’s statistics are more than respectable. Over the past three seasons at Rutgers, Omoruyi started in 98 games, averaging 11.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per contest.

For his efforts, Omoruyi has been named a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, a two time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and a two-time member of the First-Team All-Big Ten Defensive Team.

Omoruyi played high school basketball at Roselle Catholic (NJ), where he was a four-star recruit. He was ranked the No. 47 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 8 center from the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Of course, Broome isn’t afraid to square off against top talent. This past season, he averaged a team-high 16.5 points while also grabbing 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. In turn, he was named a First-Team All-SEC member.

“Johni had a great year, carried this team, particularly the offensive end, improved tremendously defensively. We rely on him a great deal,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said after the team’s season-ending loss against Yale. “He’s one of the best centers in all of college basketball as an All-American.”

Now, Broome will ride once more with the Tigers in the 2024-25 season. Obviously, that ride will include a showdown against Alabama and Omoruyi. Last season, Broome averaged 24.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against the Crimson Tide, posting a 1-1 record in their meetings.

Auburn lands transfer commitment from All-SoCon standout

Johni Broome isn’t the only unexpected threat Auburn will boast next season. On April 12, former Furman guard JP Pegues committed to Auburn. Pegues spent three seasons with the Paladins.

This past season, Pegues averaged career-highs of 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc. For his efforts, Pegues was named an All-Southern Conference First Team member.

Pegues’ best game of the season came against Western Carolina when he erupted for a season-high 35 points. Less than 10 days prior, Pegues also lit up Samford for 33 points. Pegues isn’t a one-season pony.

In the 2022-23 season, Pegues averaged 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds rebounds and 3.9 assists per game to guide the Paladins to their first league title since 1980. The 6-foot-1 guard was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship.

Pegues played a limited role in his debut campaign with the program, posting 3.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.