After 11 seasons at the helm of the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball program, head coach Bruce Pearl is expected to announce his retirement.
Pearl led the Tigers to numerous accolades, including the program’s first ever Final Four appearances in 2019 and 2025.
“We built roots in Auburn, Alabama, and with your unwavering support, we built this program from the ground up,” Pearl said in a video posted to social media by Auburn. “We took it to heights that never before had been reached.”
His overall record throughout his coaching career is 477-224. His record at Auburn was 371-246.
Pearl led Auburn to three SEC Regular Season titles, two SEC Tournament championships and six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Pearl’s retirement was believed to possibly berelated to his plans to pursue election to the U.S. Senate, replacing Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn head football coach who has turned his attention to the governor’s race.
Pearl confirmed this was not the case in the video posted to Auburn’s social media accounts.
Steven Pearl, Bruce’s son who bas been a part of Auburn’s coaching staff, most recently serving as associate head coach, will assume head coaching duties.
“Throughout our detailed process, it became obvious to me and our staff that Steven Pearl was clearly the best fit for Auburn,” said Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen in a release from the university. “His expertise in coaching defense, his skills as an evaluator, recruiter, teacher and motivator, and his relationships with our student-athletes and staff were paramount.
“As the associate head coach on what I consider to be one of the elite coaching staffs in college basketball, Steven has played a prominent role in Auburn’s unprecedented success.