Bruce Pearl Steps Down, Son Steven Takes Over Auburn on 5-year Deal

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has decided to retire, the school officially announced on Monday.

Pearl will be succeeded by his son, Steven Pearl, who has been as assistant at Auburn since 2017 – and the associate head coach since 2023. He will be on a five-year contract.

“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,” Steven said. “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.”

Bruce Pearl, 65, had been considering running for the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat for much of the summer. Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville will run for the state’s governor and will not pursue a second term in the Senate.

At the end of Pearl’s video, he said he would not be running for Senate.

“That would have required leaving Auburn, and instead the University has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s Senator. I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be. At the same time, as an ambassador at Auburn, I’ll do everything I can to keep helping Auburn be the very best version of what it possibly can be.”

Pearl had been the head coach at Auburn for the past 11 seasons and took the program from one of the worst in the SEC to one that is coming off a 32-6 overall record, a first-place finish in the league and also a Final Four appearance. Pearl is the all-time winningest coach at Auburn with 246 victories.

“I’ve been part of college basketball for almost 50 years,” Pearl said in a video released by Auburn. “And the truth is, it’s time. I told myself that when I got the point where I could not give it my all, where I wasn’t necessarily 100 percent, when I couldn’t be the relentless competitor that you expect of me, that it was going to be time. As hard as it is to say this, I’ve reached the realization that it’s time for me to step aside.”

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