Former Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl Hall of Fame Eligible

The Auburn Tigers head coach stepped away after last season, and now he's up for immortality in Springfield, Mass.

The legendary Auburn head coach could be a Hall of Famer soon | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala- Former Auburn Tigers men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl is eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. He joins the 1996 USA Basketball Women’s National Team, Mike D’Antoni, Jamal Crawford, Elena Delle Donne, Blake Griffin, Joe Johnson, Candace Parker, and Kelvin Sampson.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Eligible Candidates for the Class of 2026.

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Bruce Pearl is the winningest head coach in Auburn history, with 246 wins, which is 33 more than Joel Eaves, who holds the second-place record. Pearl led Auburn to two Final Four appearances, including last season’s Final Four. 

Pearl also finished with three of Auburn’s five SEC Championships, two of their three SEC Tournament championships, six of their 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, and the program’s only two Final Four appearances. 

In his final season as head coach, he led the Tigers to their first-ever No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the program's first No. 1 ranking in both national polls in 2022, as well as a school-record eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll last season. 

Pearl finished his career ranked 11th among active NCAA Division I head coaches in career wins (694) and 41st all-time. Pearl has won the sixth-most SEC men’s basketball championships (5) in conference history and is in the top five all-time among SEC coaches in overall victories. 

One could argue that Pearl’s best season came during the 2024-25 season when he led Auburn to its second Final Four appearance. Senior Johni Broome was a consensus All-American in 2025, named SEC Player of the Year, and was National Player of the Year in several media outlets. 

Pearl also coached several NBA players, including Jabari Smith, Walker Kessler, Chuma Okeke, Issac Okoro, JT Thor, Sharife Cooper, Dylan Cardwell, Miles Kelly, Davion Mitchell, and, of course, Johni Broome. 

Pearl came to Auburn and completely transformed the program, putting it on the national stage. Since he arrived at Auburn for the 2014-15 season, Pearl has produced one of the biggest turnarounds in the college basketball landscape. Before his arrival, Auburn had an average RPI of 191.8. In the past six seasons, the Tigers finished their campaign 16th, 13th, 27th, 11th, 5th, and 2nd, respectively, in the final NET Rankings/RPI.

In all, Pearl is very deserving of being eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. His commitment to Auburn and the Auburn community is something that could never be forgotten. Pearl now works with CBS Sports as a college basketball analyst and is enjoying a well-deserved retirement.