Bruce Pearl reportedly leaning against running for Senate to replace Tommy Tuberville

In May, reports surfaced claiming Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl was interested in running for Senate, with Senator Tommy Tuberville stepping away to run for governor. On Tuesday, Jewish Insider‘s Emily Jacobs provided an update on Pearl’s interest in running for public office.

“Bruce Pearl, Auburn University’s men’s basketball coach, is leaning against running to replace outgoing Sen. Tommy Tuberville but is giving himself until the end of the month to make a final decision,” Jacobs wrote on X. “Pearl, who would be the only Jewish Republican in the Senate if elected, spent the summer meeting with Alabama campaign operatives & GOP senators as he considered entering the race.

“This followed Tuberville’s announcement in late May that he was opting against seeking a second term to run for AL governor… Sources close to Pearl tell me he is unlikely to enter the contest, though they stress that the Auburn coach has not officially decided against running yet. Pearl wants to give himself a few more weeks in case he were to change his mind.”

Pearl has been the head coach at Auburn since 2014 and has led the program to a 244-123 record, two SEC Tournament titles and three regular-season conference championships. Last season, he led Auburn to its second Final Four in program history, with the first being in 2019.

Like Pearl, Tuberville had an extensive coaching history before entering politics. He served as the head football coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati before running for Senate in 2020. In May, Tuberville told Semafor he would discourage Pearl from running for office.

“The compensation is a little bit different,” Tuberville said. “I wouldn’t let him do it because he did such a good job at Auburn. We need him there.”

Pearl is being paid handsomely to coach at Auburn. In 2022, the school signed Pearl through 2030. In the 2024-25 season, Pearl’s salary was $5.9 million. That number increases by $250,000 each season, according to the contract.

In contrast, senators’ salaries are normally less than $200,000 a year. While Pearl doesn’t hold an elected office, he’s already involved in politics. He often speaks out against antisemitism and is the chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association.

During March Madness, Bruce Pearl called for the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. He also discussed his advocacy during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“There’s been a rise in antisemitism all across the world. I don’t understand it, but it definitely exists, and there’s been a bit of a rise in this country,” Pearl said. “However, the vast majority of Americans, particularly our Christian friends, support Israel and understand the foundation of their faith comes from the Jewish people.

“… Oct. 7 was a holocaust of the Jews, and the curtain got pulled back, Paul. The world got a chance to look in and say, ‘Look, these people do not want to live next door to us, they want to they want to kick us out.’ And fortunately the United States has been a great ally and a great friend.”