Bruce Pearl is juicing up Auburn’s roster for next season with one of the nation’s top scoring guards.

FIU transfer Denver Jones, the nation’s No. 25 scorer last season, committed to Auburn on Saturday during a visit to the Plains. Jones is the first transfer pickup for the Tigers this offseason as Pearl and his staff look to reload the roster for the 2023-24 season.

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Jones committed to Auburn just days after announcing a final six that included Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Florida State and DePaul.

The 6-foot-4 Jones is a dynamic scorer who averaged 20.1 points per game for the Panthers last season while shooting 47.8 percent overall and 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He also shot 84.5 percent from the free-throw line as a sophomore for FIU. He was one of just 26 players in the country to average at least 20 points per game last season and one of just 19 guards to do so.

A native of New Market, Jones started his career at Garden City Community College in Kansas, where he averaged 19.1 points per game and shot 47 percent overall and 40 percent from distance. He appeared in 59 games during his two seasons at FIU and started 35 games during that time, with seven starts in 2021-22 before starting all 28 games he played in last season. Along with his 20.1 points per game, Jones averaged 3.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.8 steals per game while earning first-team All-Conference USA honors.

He entered the transfer portal late last month and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Now he’s the first big addition for Auburn this offseason as Pearl looks to restock the Tigers’ roster for another NCAA Tournament run. Along with losing senior starting two-guard Zep Jasper, who exhausted his eligibility, Auburn saw starting point guard Wendell Green Jr. enter the NBA Draft last weekend, while a trio of players have entered the transfer portal: freshmen Yohan Traore and Chance Westry, and senior big man Stretch Akingbola, who will graduate this summer before seeking a grad transfer opportunity elsewhere.

Auburn is still awaiting the decisions of seniors Allen Flanigan and Jaylin Williams, both of whom have a COVID year of eligibility at their disposal and could return for a fifth season, if they choose. Counting those two seniors, and with the addition of Jones, Auburn is currently slated to have nine players on scholarship for the 2023-24 season. That leaves Pearl and his staff with four open scholarship spots to work with this offseason as they explore their options in the transfer market.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.