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Auburn's Bruce Pearl Set to Retire Before 2025-26 Season
In shocking news, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is expected to retire from the program after 11 seasons, ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported on Monday. Pearl's son Steven will take over the Tigers for the 2025-26 season.
Pearl has led the Tigers since the 2014-15 season. He's led Auburn to two Final Fours and captured three regular season SEC titles with the program, including this past season.
The 2024-25 season was a big one for Pearl and the Tigers. The team's 32-6 record led to a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA tournament. Auburn went to the Final Four for the second time in Pearl's tenure, but lost to eventual champions, Florida. Pearl was also named one of the AP Coaches of the Year, as the award was given to both Pearl and Rick Pitino.
BREAKING: Bruce Pearl is expected to retire as the head coach at Auburn, sources tell me and @PeteThamel. His son, Steven, is expected to be the head coach for the upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/gmCAUUQgCD
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) September 22, 2025
Pearl leaves Auburn with a 246-125 overall record in his 11 seasons with the program. He holds the program record for the most wins.
As for what's next for Pearl, it's unknown at this time. However, there is speculation that the longtime coach could dip his toes into politics after he responded to some rumors just a couple weeks ago. Specifically, reporters asked him if he's interested in filling Alabama's Tommy Tuberville's open U.S. Senate seat. Pearl mentioned in his official address that he is not going to enter the 2026 Alabama Senate race.
Before joining Auburn as the program's head coach, Pearl started his head coaching career in 1992 at Southern Indiana, where he stayed through 2001. From there, he coached four seasons at Milwaukee, followed by six seasons at Tennessee. If he's officially retiring from coaching college basketball, which is unclear at this time, then his overall record sits at 706-268.
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Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.