Bruce Pearl led the Auburn Tigers to the men’s college basketball Final Four last season, and the program is bringing back another talented roster this year. Pearl still feels like one of the top coaches in the sport at age-65, but he’s reportedly ready to hang up his clipboard.
Pearl is expected to retire, according to ESPN. His son Steven will reportedly become the program’s new head coach.
Steven Pearl is 38 years old, and has been an assistant at Auburn since 2017.
Bruce’s retirement comes entirely out of the blue. It feels similar to Tony Bennett retiring just before the start of last season. While Bennett had issues with Virginia’s place in the NIL era, it sure seems like Auburn is built to succeed in this moment of college basketball.
Pearl has taken Auburn to four straight NCAA tournament appearances. He also took the Tigers to the Final Four in 2019 before losing in heartbreaking fashion at the end of the game to Virginia.
Read our big explainer on why Bruce Pearl is one of the most hated men in college basketball.
What’s next for Pearl? There have been rumors that he could run for U.S. Senate in the state of Alabama. He’s been taking meetings with Republican stakeholders all summer, but he’s remained mum about his intentions to this point. While Pearl’s future intentions are currently unknown, there are a lot of people talking about a potential senate run in the wake of his sudden retirement.
Pearl has been tweeting like a Republican politician, not a basketball coach, for months. He’s taken a pro-Israel stance. With one former college coach Tommy Tuberville running for governor in Alabama, it sure seems possible Pearl is about to run for senate.
We’ll update this story as it develops.