Bruce Pearl’s Retirement Will Affect Auburn’s Draft Prospects

It’s official: after 11 seasons with Auburn, head coach Bruce Pearl is reportedly now set to retire, passing the reigns to his son, Steven Pearl.

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

The move will of course send shockwaves through college basketball, as Pearl was widely regarded as one of the league’s best coaches. But few will feel his absence more than the Auburn roster, and that includes its 2026 NBA Draft hopefuls.

Incoming sophomore Tahaad Pettiford is at the forefront of that, being one of the team’s best players, needing to use next season as a springboard to boost his draft stock.

A shifty lead guard, Pettiford earned plenty of buzz in the ’25 draft, even being seen as a potential first-round pick then with his stellar freshman season. Across 38 games, he averaged 11.6 points on 42% shooting, hitting 36% of his 3-pointers and adding 2.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and one steal per game.

Per an earlier scouting report from NBA Draft on SI regarding Pettiford: “What makes Pettiford most lethal on the offensive end is his ability to create space and advantages against his defender. He’s an extremely reliable 3-point shooter on high volume, but he can also put the ball on the deck and score from the midrange or at the rim. He’s an efficient free throw shooter, too.

"At his size, Pettiford has not been able to pull down rebounds at a very high rate, but has proven to be a complimentary playmaker for others."

Pettiford was crucial in helping Auburn in the NCAA Tournament, though his play tapered off at the Final Four where he shot just 1-for-6.

In addition to Pettiford, there's a slew of top-ranked recruits that will be looking to overachieve in the Tigers' system, hoping to land themselves on NBA decision-makers radars.

Now, Pettiford and a host of other draft-hopefuls are surrounded by the question marks left by Pearl’s retirement. Will Auburn remain a highly competitive team in one of the best conferences in basketball? How will Steven Pearl’s system differ? Will Pettiford remain a focal point of the offense moving forward?

Those are questions you’d rather not ask just a month away from season’s start, and for better or worse, Pearl’s retirement is sure to affect the team's draft hopefuls.