CONTRIBUTED BY AU ATHLETICS
AUBURN — Bruce Pearl, who has guided the Auburn men’s basketball program to unprecedented heights in his 11 years on The Plains, will step down as head coach effective immediately and will move into an ambassador’s role in the athletic department as special assistant to the athletic director.
His son, Steven Pearl, has been named Auburn men’s basketball head coach, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Monday. Pearl, who has spent the previous 11 seasons on the Auburn staff, served as associate head coach the past two seasons has signed a five-year contract to become the 22nd head coach in program history.
BRUCE PEARL’S LEGACY
The winningest coach in Auburn men’s basketball history with 232 victories, Bruce Pearl guided Auburn to Final Fours in 2019 and 2025, five Southeastern Conference championships and six NCAA Tournament appearances.
“Eleven years ago, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to become the head basketball coach at Auburn, and it has been nothing short of amazing,” the elder Pearl said. “With the Auburn Family’s unwavering support, we have built a program from the ground up and taken it to heights it had never reached before. Not only have we won championships, but we have built the best home-court advantage in college basketball, we’ve invested in this community and changed lives, and we’ve developed and graduated Auburn men. We built a program with the core tenants of faith, family and passion, and together, we made history. I hope we have made Auburn proud.
“I have been at this for almost 50 years and truthfully as hard as it is for me to say this, I have come to the realization that it’s time for me to step aside. Being the head coach at Auburn has been the privilege of my life.
“There are so many people to thank, but the success that we achieved would not have been possible first and foremost, without the players who worked incredibly hard to improve every day on the court, in the classroom and developing into men,” Pearl said. “I’ve had the best staff in the country and can’t thank then enough for their commitment. We’ve had tremendous support from our university administration, athletic administration and the Board of Trustees, whom I’m incredibly grateful for. I want to thank Jay Jacobs and Jay Gogue for hiring me as well as our current administration, Dr. Chris Roberts and John Cohen, for their commitment to excellence.
“Auburn Family, I love you and I hope you understand that for me, it is time,” he said. “Brandy and I are looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving the Auburn Family — just, in a new capacity. War Eagle!”
The 2024-25 season was arguably the best in program history as Pearl led the program to its second Final Four in six years, the SEC regular season title and a school-record 32 wins. Auburn was ranked No. 1 for eight consecutive weeks during the regular season and earned the NCAA Tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, a program first. Senior Johni Broome was a consensus All-American in 2025, named the SEC Player of the Year and was National Player of the Year by several media outlets.
“Throughout his five decades on the court, Bruce has energized fan bases, won championships, helped student-athletes graduate, worked with young people to achieve their dreams and impacted countless lives. The marks of a true college basketball Hall of Famer,” Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen said.
“While Bruce has been a stalwart of college basketball for his entire career, nowhere has he made a stronger impact than his 11 years at Auburn. During his tenure on the Plains, Bruce has brought pride to the Auburn family as he pursued and won championships through relentless toughness and determination.
“I have seen BP coach over these last three seasons, not just games, but at morning workouts and in the practice gym. It has been a pleasure watching Coach Pearl love the student-athletes so deeply and take pride in their success both on and off the court — but also instilling in them what it is to be an Auburn man.
“I know Bruce and Brandy will continue to be pillars of the Auburn community and that they will be strong advocates for the next chapter of Auburn Men’s Basketball and all of Auburn University,” Cohen said.
“On March 18, 2014, Bruce Pearl captivated the entire Auburn Family as he stepped off the plane and proudly declared that men’s basketball championships would soon come to The Plains,” Auburn President Dr. Chris Roberts said. “Throughout his 11 seasons at the helm, Bruce backed up that declaration and more, bringing national acclaim to our program and pride to the Auburn Family. It has been a true pleasure watching Bruce lead Auburn’s program, elevate its stature and develop his student-athletes into Auburn Men. I am thankful for the tireless work BP has put into the Auburn men’s basketball program and the way in which he has truly loved and championed Auburn University.”
A NEW BEGINNING WITH A FAMILIAR FACE
Steven Pearl has been instrumental in helping Auburn become a basketball powerhouse. During his time on staff, Auburn has produced and developed seven NBA Draft picks and four All-Americans – more pros than the previous two decades. The Tigers have also won more NCAA Tournament games than any SEC program over the last seven years and earned the program’s first No. 1 ranking during the 2021-22 season, holding that ranking for eight consecutive weeks while being ranked in the top 25 for 32 consecutive weeks.
“I’m incredibly grateful to President Dr. Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen and the entire Auburn leadership team for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Steven Pearl said. “In a sense, 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. 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.”
Since taking over defensive leadership of the team four seasons ago, Steven Pearl has led Auburn to a Top 10 national ranking in overall defense three times, becoming one of only four teams in Division I to accomplish the feat.
Auburn’s field goal percentage defense over the last four seasons is best four-year span in school history and its 3-point field goal percentage defense over the last three seasons is the best three-year span in Auburn history. The Tigers have also ranked in the top 13 in the country in effective field goal percentage defense each of the last four seasons.
Beyond leading defensive strategies and in-game play calling for the last four seasons, Steven Pearl has led opponent scouting and has played a huge role in the development of Auburn’s big men during his 11-year tenure on The Plains.
“When I came to Auburn three years ago, Coach Bruce Pearl made it clear to me that he was nearing the end of his coaching days,” said Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen said. “It was obvious to me — even then — that we needed to create an internal national search to prepare for the time when Coach Pearl would be stepping down.
“Throughout our detailed process, it became obvious to me and our staff that Steven Pearl was clearly the best fit for Auburn. His expertise in coaching defense, his skills as an evaluator, recruiter, teacher and motivator, and his relationships with our student-athletes and staff were paramount.
“As the associate head coach on what I consider to be one of the elite coaching staffs in college basketball, Steven has played a prominent role in Auburn’s unprecedented success.
“The uncommon stability of Auburn’s coaching staff is a huge reason why our men’s basketball program has won five SEC championships and made two trips to the Final Four in the past eight seasons. Keeping that staff intact was a high priority, and very much a part of our decision-making process. We are thrilled to congratulate Steven and Brittany and are excited to watch Steven lead the program into this next chapter.”
Named one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistant coaches in NCAA Division I basketball by Silver Waves Media the last two years, Pearl has been instrumental in one of the biggest rebuilds in college basketball.
Since 2017, every player who has transferred to Auburn has won an SEC Championship and six have earned All-SEC honors, including two All-Americans. Over the last four years, Pearl has taken the lead in transfer portal recruiting, landing some of the top transfers in the country.
“There is nobody more qualified or in a position to maintain our culture of faith, family and doing it the Auburn way than Steven,” said Bruce Pearl. “Out of loyalty to Auburn and me, Steven passed on several previous chances to pursue head coaching opportunities, choosing instead to invest in our men’s basketball program and help it reach unprecedented heights. He has worked tirelessly and been instrumental in the success of our program over the last 11 years. I am so pleased that the DNA of this program won’t be changing and could not be prouder for Steven, Brittany and Lainey.”
