Big news came along for the Auburn Tigers on Thursday at Neville Arena on Thursday following the team’s pro day, as one of their transfers was cleared to play for the 2026-2027 season.
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Head Coach Steven Pearl announced in a media availability that center Narcisse Ngoy has been granted eligibility by the NCAA. Pearl stated that he was given two years of eligibility at Auburn.
“Narcisse, through Auburn's efforts working with the NCAA, has been granted his eligibility,” Pearl said. “Narcisse is good to go, which is great news.”
Ngoy, who most recently played for Poitiers of the French League 2 averaged 9.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in his most recent season. As a result of his stats, he was named the league Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year and the 2025-2026 Most Improved Player.
The 7-foot, 280-pound big man was drafted in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but was then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
After a long process of fighting for eligibility, Ngoy expressed that when he got the news, he was ecstatic.
“I was really happy because I was waiting for the eligibility and now I’ve known the news for a few days so I was really excited and happy,” Ngoy said.
After being drafted and some negotiations, Ngoy decided to stay with his commitment to the program and develop under Pearl.
“I think the better option in the transition of France to Auburn is a better option for me because, you know, I’ve only played in France, so the better transition for me is to play first in Auburn to adapt my play to the American game to go to the NBA maybe in a few years,” Ngoy said.
Ngoy was one of three players from the Tigers that has been awaiting a ruling on eligibility for the coming season. Mantas Rubštavičius, a guard from Lithuania, is still waiting on a ruling from the NCAA. Meanwhile, Utah State transfer Kolby King is still in the middle of an Ohio court case regarding an additional year of eligibility. The ruling for King’s case was initially granted, but has since been overturned, continuing the case.
All three have been practicing with the program since arriving. Neither Ngoy or Rubštavičius played with the team while it was on its overseas trip to Greece. However, Pearl says that Ngoy’s ruling will see him play in Auburn’s upcoming exhibition games, which start with one against Florida State on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Birmingham.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
