Auburn, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn Men’s Basketball head coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement Monday after 11 seasons on The Plains. The Tigers named Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, as his successor Monday, according to Auburn athletic director John Cohen and ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
A historic chapter is coming to a close for @CoachBrucePearl, but his legacy lives on.
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) September 22, 2025
🗞️: https://t.co/2kRQCEl1yk#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/4LFaqgRBH4
Bruce Pearl leaves Auburn as the program’s most successful coach, totaling a 246-125 record over the 11 seasons he was on The Plains. He also took the Tigers to their only two Final Four appearances in program history. This past season was arguably his best, winning a school-record 32 games and claiming the school’s first-ever tournament No. 1 overall seed. Pearl earned the 2025 Coach of the Year Award for his efforts.
His tenure also included three regular-season SEC championships, two SEC Tournament Championships, six NCAA tournament appearances, and seven 20-win seasons, four more than any other coach in program history. He also won SEC Coach of the Year twice with the Tigers, the first in 2022 and the second in 2025.
Thank you, Coach!@AuburnMBB x #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/BX6FoxXSyF
— Auburn Tigers (@AuburnTigers) September 22, 2025
Pearl’s impact at Auburn was not only on the court, but also off of it in several charitable causes, such as AUTLIVE and the Mike Slive Foundation. Both of these causes focus on fighting cancer and other illnesses by bringing awareness and raising funds. Pearl’s commitment to the well being of those around him also extended to his players. During his Auburn tenure, 51 of his players graduated.
He also cultivated NBA talent on The Plains, sending players such as Jabari Smith Jr, Walker Kessler, and most recently Johni Broome to the pro level. Four of Pearl’s Tigers earned All-American nods, and Broome took home both the 2025 National Player of the Year and 2025 SEC Player of the Year awards.
Steven Pearl was signed to a five-year contract extension by Auburn to fill his outgoing father’s role as head coach after serving on his staff for all 11 seasons of his tenure on The Plains. Pearl is widely regarded as a talented defensive mind, and Auburn has ranked in the Top 10 nationally in overall defense three times in the last four seasons under his guidance, just one of only four teams in Division I to accomplish the feat.
