After 11 seasons, Bruce Pearl leaves his position as Auburn's head coach
Auburn announced on Monday that Bruce Pearl has resigned as men's basketball coach and will become a special assistant to the athletics director, serving as an ambassador in the athletic department.
The Tigers' associate head coach, Steven Pearl, Pearl's son, was hired as the program's new head coach for a five-year term.
The 65-year-old Bruce Pearl just finished a season leading Auburn to their second-ever Final Four appearance. After capturing the SEC regular-season title and amassing 32 victories, the Tigers secured the top seed in the NCAA men's tournament before losing to Florida in the national semifinal.
During his 11 seasons as Auburn's head coach, he guided the Tigers to two Final Four runs and six trips to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers won two SEC tournament titles and at least a portion of three SEC regular-season titles when Pearl was a member of Auburn.
He went 246-125 at Auburn
"Eleven years ago, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to become the head basketball coach at Auburn, and it has been nothing short of amazing," Pearl said in a statement. "With the Auburn Family's unwavering support, we have built a program from the ground up and taken it to heights it had never reached before. Not only have we won championships, but we have built the best home-court advantage in college basketball, we've invested in this community and changed lives, and we've developed and graduated Auburn men. We built a program with the core tenants of faith, family and passion, and together, we made history. I hope we have made Auburn proud."
Pearl has long been linked to a post-coaching career in politics, something he addressed in early September following monthslong rumors regarding him as a potential candidate for Tommy Tuberville's open U.S. Senate seat, but he said Monday he's not running for Senate.
"Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate, maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama," Pearl said. "That would've required leaving Auburn. And instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn's senator."
Pearl has served as head coach of Southern Indiana, Tennessee, and Milwaukee prior to taking over at Auburn. In all six of his seasons with the Volunteers, he made it to the NCAA tournament, including three trips to the Sweet 16 and one to the Elite Eight. After being accused of unethical behavior by the NCAA for lying during an investigation into recruiting irregularities, he was fired in 2011.
During his 11 seasons as Auburn's head coach, he guided the Tigers to two Final Four runs and six trips to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers won two SEC tournament titles and at least a portion of three SEC regular-season titles when Pearl was a member of Auburn.
Pearl was given a three-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA, with Auburn hiring him five months before it ended.
Steven Pearl played 101 games for his father at Tennessee from 2007-11. He then was a medical sales representative for three years before joining the Auburn staff in 2014, and was promoted to associate head coach before the 2023-24 season.
"I'm incredibly grateful to President Dr. Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen, and the entire Auburn leadership team for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Steven Pearl said in a statement. "In a sense, I've spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, learning from one of the best in BP, and building a foundation rooted in character, hard work, and team-first values. We're not starting over -- we're building forward, with the same principles that have made Auburn Basketball elite. I'm honored to lead this program, and I'm ready to rise to the moment."
