Bruce Pearl Admits Nepotism in Auburn Hiring Son, Steven: 'I'm Not Going to Deny Who I Am'

Bruce Pearl has made it no secret that he believes that the Auburn Tigers should be in the NCAA Tournament over undefeated Miami (Ohio), so much so that Redhawks AD David Sayler went as far as to accuse Pearl of nepotism due to his ties to the program and his son Steven's hiring as his predecessor.

While he may be a national analyst, Pearl said his support for the Tigers should be obvious.

"Am I rooting for my son to make the NCAA tournament? Of course I am. Did I help my son get the job? Nepotism? Of course I did," Pearl said during a recent appearance on Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich. "People want to accuse me of stuff, saying, 'Yeah, I love the United States of America. I love my ancestral Jewish homeland.' I'm not going to deny who I am and who I've always been."

.@coachbrucepearl is ALL IN on the Auburn Tigers!

"Am I rooting for my son to make the NCAA tournament? Of course I am! Did I help my son get the job? Nepotism? Of course I did!" @dandakich pic.twitter.com/oQdCMm6Cuk
— Don’t @ Me (@DontAtMeDD) March 4, 2026

Pearl's beef with Miami (Ohio) has taken over headlines as the Tigers, now 16-14 after Tuesday's win over LSU, fight to get into the NCAA Tournament. The Redhawks are the last undefeated team, standing at 30-0, but a weak strength of schedule has many believing that if they don't win the MAC Tournament, they should be excluded from the NCAA Tournament.

Pearl previously said that while Miami (Ohio) may be "deserving" of a spot even if they don't win their conference, the metrics of how at-large teams are selected "doesn't work out for them." He doubled down on those comments to Dakich.

"Miami (Ohio) is one of the most deserving teams to get into the NCAA Tournament. Do I think they are one of the 37 best teams? I don't," he said.

Since Pearl's original comments earlier in the week, Sayler, in a series of tweets, has pleaded Miami (Ohio)'s case, while targeting Pearl, specifically. Sayler said that Pearl is "embarrassing himself" and that the former Auburn head coach "belongs nowhere near a TV studio." He also called out Pearl's ties to the program, saying "nepotism is a powerful drug."

“You are flat out wrong about [Miami] when you say we would finish last in the Big East,” he said in an accompanying post. “The disrespect is awful and you should not be near a TV studio covering this sport when u show your true colors! Even slipped in a 'we' when talking about Auburn, nice work!”

Pearl, meanwhile, admits that Auburn has not locked up a tournament bid at all. The Tigers, battling numerous off-court issues while struggling through SEC play this season, currently sit as one of the "first four out" teams, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi and according to CBS Sports. USA Today projects Auburn as one of the "last four in."

"Auburn, right now, is on the bubble. They're either going to play their way in or play their way out. That's going to be determined," Pearl said. "Had they beaten Ole Miss last Saturday, they beat LSU (Tuesday), it may have been enough. Looks to me like that got to win one more to get in. That's objectively how I feel."

Auburn has the chance to silence some doubters while adding to its resume on Saturday, ending the regular season on the road at No. 16 Alabama, before turning its attention to the SEC Tournament.