Nate Oats

Nate Oats has delivered on his promise of up-tempo, entertaining basketball since taking over at Alabama in 2019, compiling a 145-63 record and leading the Crimson Tide to their first-ever Final Four appearance in 2024. His tenure includes a pair of SEC Regular Season championships, two SEC Tournament championships, three Sweet 16 trips, and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, making him the only coach in program history to win multiple SEC regular season and tournament titles. Oats has received three contract extensions, with his current deal running through the 2030 season. Off the court, he has built the program’s culture around three core values: Max Effort, Continuous Growth, and Selfless Love.

Dylan Cardwell

Dylan is a God-fearing man who is an NBA player for the Sacramento Kings and Auburn University’s winningest athlete in school history, with 121 wins, three SEC championships, and a Final Four appearance. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Auburn’s Harbert College of Business in 2023 with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Entrepreneurship, earning numerous academic and community honors including the 2024 Auburn University Student Leader of the Year award. Off the court, Dylan has been recognized for his character and service with a letter of commendation from Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and an award named in his honor by the Wetumpka Auburn Alumni Club. Known for his faith, joyous personality, and love of family, he married his wife in 2025.

Gus Malzahn

Gus Malzahn spent 35 years in the coaching ranks, building a resume that includes a national championship, a second National Championship Game appearance, three conference championships, and a career FBS head coaching record of 105-62 at Arkansas State, Auburn, and UCF. At Auburn, he directed a stunning turnaround in 2013, taking a three-win team to a 12-2 record and the BCS National Championship Game, and earned the 2010 Broyles Award as the nation’s best assistant coach while guiding Cam Newton and the Auburn offense to a national title. Before his college career, Malzahn spent 14 seasons as a high school head coach in Arkansas, going 144-36-1 with three state championships and earning induction into the Arkansas High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He is the only coach in history to record 100 wins as both an FBS head coach and a high school head coach.

Ronnie Brown

Ronnie Brown grew up in Cartersville, Georgia as a two-sport athlete before committing to play football at Auburn University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communication in 2004. Selected second overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2005 NFL Draft, he went on to a decorated ten-year NFL career with the Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, and Houston Texans, earning a Pro Bowl selection along the way before retiring in 2014. After football, Ronnie transitioned into wealth management, where he now leverages his experience as a professional athlete to help business professionals, coaches, and high-net-worth individuals build comprehensive financial plans for long-term success. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Taylor and their two children, Rhys and Reagan, and is a hands-on dad who is passionate about community involvement, philanthropy, golf, and attending sporting events.

Tim Hudson

Tim Hudson, an Auburn legend and 17-year MLB veteran, entered his third season as the Tigers’ volunteer pitching coach in 2021. During his first season in 2020, he guided the staff to a historic start with 10-plus strikeouts in 14 consecutive games, a 2.81 ERA, and five shutouts that ranked third nationally, all before COVID-19 cut the season short. Hudson’s ties to Auburn run deep. As a player, he turned in one of the program’s greatest seasons in 1997, going 15-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 165 strikeouts on the mound while hitting .396 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI, earning SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-America honors. He went on to a decorated MLB career, posting a 222-133 record, making four All-Star teams, and winning a World Series, before being inducted into both the Braves Hall of Fame and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Michael O’Neill

Sophia Groth

Sophia Groth competed as an all-around gymnast at Auburn from 2021-2025, establishing herself as one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history. A West Des Moines, Iowa native, she earned NCAA All-America honors, multiple All-SEC recognitions, and was named the 2025 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, helping lead the Tigers to their highest team finish in program history in 2022. Known for her consistency on beam and floor, she posted career highs of 9.975 on floor and 9.950 on beam across her four seasons. After graduating, Sophia joined SMU’s athletics development staff before returning to the Plains in 2026 as an assistant coach for Auburn Gymnastics. She is married to a former Auburn cheerleader, and the couple shares a dog named Bronco.

Nancy Lieberman

Nancy Lieberman is a two-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time Olympian, and trailblazing coach whose career has shattered barriers at every level of the game. A three-time All-American and two-time national player of the year at Old Dominion University, she became the first pick in the first-ever women’s pro league in 1980 and later became the first woman to play in a men’s professional league in 1986. As a coach, she led Team Power to the 2018 BIG3 championship, becoming the first female coach to win a title in a men’s pro league, and has since been recognized with the Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award, the 2023 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup Award, and the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, among others. Off the court, Nancy is a world-renowned motivational speaker, accomplished author, and committed philanthropist. Through Nancy Lieberman Charities, she has built 140 “Dream Courts” serving over five million children in urban communities and supported programs spanning college scholarships, basketball clinics, and racial and social justice education.

Bruce Pearl

Bruce Pearl spent 11 seasons at Auburn, where he guided the Tigers to 200 wins, the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking, and a memorable Final Four run in 2019. Ranking 12th among active Division I coaches with 662 career wins, Pearl was the only coach in SEC history to lead two programs to a No. 1 ranking, won four SEC championships, and took his teams to the NCAA Tournament 22 times in 29 seasons. Off the court, Pearl was one of Alabama’s most influential community figures, having raised over $2.5 million for Children’s Harbor and other children’s charities alongside his wife Brandy, and over $1 million through his AUTLIVE Cancer Game, which also provided free PSA screenings for men over 40 in partnership with the Mike Slive Foundation.

Abbie Stockard

Abbie Stockard is a 23-year-old dancer, choreographer, and Auburn University nursing student from Alabama who serves on the Tiger Paws Dance Team. A passionate advocate, she has raised over $5,000 for the American Heart Association and earned an AHA Go Red for Women Leadership Award, while also raising over $200,000 for Cystic Fibrosis research, spearheading the largest CF fundraiser in Alabama, and being named the 2024 Hero of Hope by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. During her year of service as Miss America, Abbie served as a National Ambassador for both the American Heart Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, leveraging her experience collaborating with state and national legislators to champion her platform of Healthy Children/Healthy Futures for All. She is engaged to NBA star Walker Kessler.

Ron Slay

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Slay played for the University of Tennessee from 1999-2003, making an immediate impact as a versatile forward. As a senior in 2003, he was named the SEC Player of the Year after averaging 21.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Known for his energy, toughness, and scoring ability, Slay became a fan favorite and helped lead the Vols to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. After his collegiate career, Slay played professionally for over a decade, competing internationally in leagues in Italy, Spain, Israel, Portugal, France, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. His impact on basketball extended beyond his playing days, as he has remained involved in the game as a media personality and mentor to young athletes. Slay was named a 2017 SEC Basketball Legend and to the Tennessee Basketball All-Century Team. Slay currently co-hosts the 3HL afternoon drive show on WGFX-FM in Nashville and serves as a basketball analyst for SEC Network.

James Spann

Roman Harper

Super Bowl Champion and former NFL Pro Bowl safety Roman Harper joined SEC Network in 2020 as an analyst on SEC Nation alongside host Laura Rutledge and analysts Tim Tebow, Paul Finebaum, and Jordan Rodgers. He also co-hosts Read & React with Cole Cubelic and appears regularly on SEC Now and The Paul Finebaum Show. Harper spent nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, serving as a team captain when they won Super Bowl XLIV, and was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2020. A Prattville, Alabama native and Alabama alum, Harper currently resides in Charlotte with his wife and four children. He is the founder of Harper’s Hope 4*1 Foundation, which focuses on strengthening families and empowering children regardless of their circumstances, with outreach in Charlotte, New Orleans, and across Alabama.

Greg Byrne

Andy Kennedy

Andy Kennedy, named UAB’s seventh head coach in March 2020, returned to his alma mater where he ranks as the program’s second all-time leading scorer. Now entering his fifth year, Kennedy has compiled 101 wins over his first four seasons, the most in program history over any four-year span, and reached 100 wins faster than any coach in UAB history. He has led the Blazers to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, a program-record 29 wins, an NIT Championship Game appearance, and an AAC Tournament title in the program’s first year in the conference. Kennedy previously served as head coach at Ole Miss from 2006-2018, earning two SEC Coach of the Year honors and becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach. He is one of only five active head coaches with 20-plus wins in 13 of their first 16 seasons, alongside John Calipari, Mark Few, Jamie Dixon, and Thad Matta.

Jay Harris

Jay Harris is a five-time Emmy Award-winning SportsCenter anchor in his 23rd year at ESPN, where he has become one of the network’s most recognizable faces. Before joining ESPN, he served as weeknight main news anchor at WPGH-TV in Pittsburgh and also worked in local and national radio there, launching his career in local radio in Portsmouth, Virginia. A native of Norfolk, Virginia who grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Jay graduated from Old Dominion University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and received the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003. He has twice served as Old Dominion’s commencement speaker and spent eight years on the university’s Board of Visitors. A proud Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, he is an award-winning journalist with a passion for volunteer work, youth advocacy, and yes, golf.

Steven Pearl

Steven Pearl was named Auburn’s 22nd head men’s basketball coach on September 22, 2025, entering his second season at the helm in 2026-27 after 13 total years with the program. In his first season, he guided the Tigers to a 22-16 record and the program’s first-ever NIT Championship, posting the most wins by a first-year head coach in Auburn history against the nation’s third-toughest schedule. An integral part of Auburn’s golden era of basketball, Pearl helped the program win five SEC Championships, make two Final Four appearances, and produce seven NBA Draft picks during his time as an assistant and associate head coach, while earning recognition as one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistants in the country in both 2024 and 2025. A four-year letterwinner at Tennessee under his father Bruce Pearl, Steven graduated with a degree in marketing and international business in 2010 before spending three years in medical sales and ultimately joining the Auburn staff in 2015. He rose from director of basketball operations to associate head coach, establishing himself as a defensive specialist and elite transfer portal recruiter who helped land key contributors including Johni Broome, Walker Kessler, and Keyshawn Hall. He and his wife Brittany, married in August 2022, have a daughter named Lainey.