Bruce Pearl retires: Auburn coach abruptly steps down after 11-year tenure, biggest run in program historical past

School basketball has been hit with an enormous teaching retirement determination for a second straight preseason. Auburn’s Bruce Pearl is stepping down from his submit, efficient instantly, the college introduced Monday, after CBS Sports activities reported the information. Pearl “will transfer into an envoy’s function within the athletic division as particular assistant to the athletics director,” per the college.

Pearl’s determination comes lower than a 12 months after Virginia’s Tony Bennett shockingly stepped away in October 2024.

After an offseason of contemplating whether or not or to not retire, Pearl got here to phrases together with his determination and made it closing on Monday morning, sources stated. He’d been linked to a possible Senate run in Alabama in current months as effectively, however CBS Sports activities’ sources had downplayed the probability that Pearl would go into politics this 12 months. 

Seems, that was correct. 

Auburn launched a video of Pearl asserting his determination to step down on Monday afternoon, and in it, he revealed he’d keep on with the college in an advisory function — opting not to enter politics.

The 65-year-old Pearl has been a head coach courting again to 1992, when he first obtained an opportunity operating a program at Division II Southern Indiana the place, in 1995, he received a D-II nationwide championship. Pearl then coached at Milwaukee from 2001-05, at Tennessee from 2005-11 and, since 2014, has guided Auburn underneath its biggest run in class historical past. Pearl leaves on a excessive notice, having taken the Tigers to the Ultimate 4 with a No. 1 seed final season. He additionally took Auburn to its first Ultimate 4 in 2019. 

His profession file ends at 706-268 (as a consequence of NCAA penalties, his file is formally 694-270), with 477 of these victories on the D-I stage. His 232 wins at Auburn is a college file, as are his 5 convention titles. 

“Eleven years in the past, I used to be given the chance of a lifetime to grow to be the pinnacle basketball coach at Auburn, and it has been nothing in need of wonderful,” Pearl stated in a press release. “With the Auburn Household’s unwavering assist, we now have constructed a program from the bottom up and brought it to heights it had by no means reached earlier than. Not solely have we received championships, however we now have constructed the perfect home-court benefit in faculty basketball, we have invested on this group and adjusted lives, and we have developed and graduated Auburn males. We constructed a program with the core tenants of religion, household and fervour, and collectively, we made historical past. I hope we now have made Auburn proud.

“I’ve been at this for nearly 50 years and honestly as onerous as it’s for me to say this, I’ve come to the belief that it is time for me to step apart. Being the pinnacle coach at Auburn has been the privilege of my life.” 

Pearl’s departure means faculty basketball teaching is dropping certainly one of its most outstanding individuals. Pearl has been a high-profile presence each when it comes to his successful and his willingness to supply a quote for the media, even effectively earlier than he obtained to Auburn in 2014. He made SEC historical past by turning into the primary and solely coach to information two faculties (Tennessee and Auburn) to their first No. 1 rating in program historical past.

Arrived at Auburn after controversy

Pearl’s path to Auburn was clouded in controversy, and in reality he had two circumstances that pushed him outdoors of Division I earlier than probably the most fruitful stage of his profession. He obtained a three-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA in 2011 as his unprecedented run of success at Tennessee — the place he took the Vols to No. 1 for the primary time, in 2008 — got here to an finish after an investigation discovered he lied to NCAA investigators about this system’s impermissible contact with prospects. That punishment got here because of Pearl internet hosting then-recruit Aaron Craft for a cookout at his residence within the late 2000s. Pearl was pressured to go away teaching for 3 years because of this.

That was the second time Pearl was wrapped up in an NCAA investigation, together with a recruiting scandal as an assistant at Iowa within the late Eighties involving Deon Thomas, who signed with Illinois. Pearl’s function centered round him secretly recording a cellphone dialog with Thomas, as he tried to entrap the participant into admitting Illinois supplied him $80,000 and a automotive to decide on the Illini over taking part in at Iowa, the place Pearl was an assistant on the time. Pearl subsequently went to D-II Southern Indiana as a head coach and constructed a nationwide energy. 

Flash ahead to 2014 — after success at Milwaukee and his rise-before-the-fall at Tennessee — and Auburn was a program mired in apathy. The staff had posted only one successful file in SEC play from 2001-17. It was one of many three or 4 worst high-major jobs within the sport. After sitting on the sidelines as a consequence of NCAA punishment, Pearl wanted a job and Auburn wanted hope. 

So Auburn made the transfer, and in doing so, decided that might carry it to one of many 10-15 finest packages within the sport over the following 11 years. Final season was the best in class historical past: a 1-seed, an SEC title and a school-record 32 wins earlier than falling to eventual NCAA champion Florida within the nationwide semifinals. 

Turned across the Tigers

Pearl landed at Auburn’s non-public airport on March 18, 2014, to cheers from win-starved college students, who yelped, “Let-Bruce-loose! Let-Bruce-loose!” — an acknowledgement of the NCAA punishments that had led him to that tarmac that afternoon.

“Hey!” Pearl stated in his first public assertion to the Auburn trustworthy. “I do not know the way lengthy it is going to take, however I need this identical reception once we come again with an SEC championship! Struggle Eagle!”

Pearl would go on to seize his first SEC championship in 2018, then win 4 extra within the ensuing years. He turned Auburn from an SEC doormat right into a championship-level program. Pearl’s groups have been glorious at defending the rim, yearly rating close to the highest of the nation in block share. He recruited the switch portal at an especially excessive stage, serving to bigs like Walker Kessler and Johni Broome flip into the perfect variations of themselves. Broome, whose finest faculty possibility out of highschool was Morehead State, was the second finest participant within the sport final season, pushing Duke freshman Cooper Flagg for nationwide participant of the 12 months honors deep into March.

In all, Pearl recruited seven NBA Draft picks from 2019-2025, together with 2022 No. 3 total choose Jabari Smith Jr. 

Pearl additionally elevated Auburn into a brand new zip code on the recruiting path. A shocking stat that speaks to how issues modified on the Plains: The highest 11 gamers that Auburn has landed within the web period have been all recruited by Pearl. He additionally began AUTlive, an Auburn-focused cancer-fighting initiative that raised thousands and thousands up to now decade.

Steven Pearl to take over with a five-year contract

Now, Auburn shifts into a brand new period — with a well-known identify. Steven Pearl, Bruce’s son, has been promoted to full-time head coach. Steven is 38 and has solely ever coached in faculty whereas working for his father. In recent times, the Pearl household and Auburn’s administration went forwards and backwards over whether or not Steven can be formally written into contracts as being the coach-in-waiting. That by no means got here to cross, per sources, however finally it did not matter with Bruce’s late-September resignation. 

Auburn athletic director John Cohen signed off on a five-year contract for Steven Pearl, who has been with this system since Bruce took over in 2014.

“I am extremely grateful to President Dr. (Christopher) Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen, and all the Auburn management staff for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime alternative,” Steven Pearl stated. “I’ve spent my lifetime making ready for this second, studying from among the best in BP, and constructing a basis rooted in character, onerous work, and team-first values. We’re not beginning over — we’re constructing ahead, with the identical rules which have made Auburn Basketball elite. I am honored to steer this program, and I am able to rise to the second.”

Steven Pearl grew right into a key defensive tactician for this system lately; Auburn ranked top-10 in defensive at KenPom three of the previous 4 seasons. 

As for the roster, defections aren’t count on, however technically every Auburn participant may have a 30-day window to enter the switch portal as a result of teaching change. The Tigers misplaced all however one rotation member from final 12 months’s Ultimate 4 membership, however the Tigers nonetheless have a talent-laden roster, headlined by lone returner Tahaad Pettiford. The sophomore lefty is slated to be one of many SEC’s high guards. Auburn additionally has ballyhooed switch forwards in KeShawn Murphy (from Mississippi State) and Keyshawn Corridor (from UCF), who would have critical markets in the event that they select to hit free company. 

With Bruce Pearl as coach, Auburn has projected by most human voters and laptop metrics to be a high 25-caliber staff heading into November. 

Bruce Pearl’s Division I file

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