Auburn basketball coach named as a candidate to replace John Calipari

The Kentucky Wildcats are looking for a new head basketball coach.

Would an Auburn head coach leave for another SEC program?

The college basketball world was up late Sunday night digesting the news that John Calipari is leaving his post as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats for the same job with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The next reasonable question as the dominoes continue to fall is who will replace Calipari at Kentucky. Some sites, analysts, and writers are saying Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl is on the list of candidates.

Draft Kings has an article up of potential replacements for Calipari and they have Pearl listed among other names like UConn's Dan Hurley, T.J. Otzelberger of Iowa State, Baylor's Scott Drew, and Gonzaga's Mark Few.

"Entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Pearl is 214-118 at Auburn. After a few rough years getting the program going, the head coach has turned the Tigers into an absolute powerhouse," DK Network's Chinmay Vaidya writes. "Auburn has dominated the SEC behind Pearl’s ability to recruit at a high level and make great adjustments during games. Of course, there are some questionable tactics but that’s a relic of the past with NIL being more prevalent and the transfer portal being more open. Pearl shouldn’t have any trouble re-tooling Kentucky, especially with a boost in resources. He’s had success everywhere he’s gone and the off-court stuff won’t matter as long as he’s winning games. He’s the top choice, with the only question being if he’ll leave Auburn after what he’s built there.

Pearl's eight year contract with Auburn is through the 2029-2030 season.