College basketball got a jolt Monday with the news that Bruce Pearl is retiring at Auburn just weeks before the 2025-26 season tips off.
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The 65-year-old Pearl is stepping away after more than a decade leading the Tigers, according to multiple reports. His son, associate head coach Steve Pearl, is expected to take over the program.
It's a seismic move given where Auburn sits in the national picture. Pearl just guided the Tigers to their second Final Four in program history last spring, earning a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after a 28-5 campaign and 15-3 mark in SEC play.
Auburn fell to eventual champion Florida in the semifinals, but Pearl still earned co-National Coach of the Year honors alongside St. John's Rick Pitino.
Pearl first put Auburn on the national map in 2019 with the school's first-ever Final Four run. In all, he reached March Madness six times in his 11 years on the Plains.
Before Auburn, Pearl coached Tennessee for six seasons, making the NCAA Tournament each year, with three Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight. He was fired in 2011 for lying to the NCAA during a recruiting probe.
Pearl also made headlines recently for suggesting he might consider politics, with Alabama's U.S. Senate seat opening in 2026 as Tommy Tuberville pursues the governor's office.
His departure leaves Auburn at a crossroads with the season only six weeks away — and with one of the sport's more colorful coaching careers now closing.
