Bruce Pearl Retires As Auburn Coach, Says He Won’t Run for Senate

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is retiring.

The 65-year-old coach is stepping down shortly before the 2025–26 season, he announced in a 14-minute video Monday.

The school said Monday that his son Steven had signed a five-year deal to take over as head coach.

“The truth is, it’s time,” Bruce Pearl said in the video. “I told myself that when I got to the point where I could not give it my all, where I wasn’t necessarily 100%, or I couldn’t be the relentless competitor that you expected of me, then it was going to be time.”

The Tigers reached the Final Four twice—in 2019 and 2025—during Pearl’s 11-year tenure. Pearl won 706 games at four schools and a Division II title at Southern Indiana.

Reports had suggested Pearl was considering running for Senate to replace Republican Tommy Tuberville, who is stepping down to run for Alabama governor. Tuberville was previously best known as a college football coach, spending a decade at Auburn. 

Pearl addressed the longstanding rumors Monday, and said that he had ultimately decided against running for office. “Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate,” Pearl said in the video. “Maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama.

“That would have required leaving Auburn, and instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator. I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be. At the same time, as an ambassador at Auburn, I’m going to do everything I can to keep helping Auburn be the very best version of what it possibly can be.”

Pearl’s official role will be “special assistant to the athletics director,” according to a university release. 

Last year, Pearl led the Tigers to the Final Four; they ended their season with a 32–6 record. Pearl was the sixth-highest-paid men’s college basketball coach during that time, with a salary of $5.9 million, according to USA Today, on a contract running until 2030. Pearl also had an $11.7 million buyout.

There were plenty of signs suggesting Pearl was on his way out. In September, Pearl said on The Paul Finebaum Show that he would be surprised if he lasted the five years left on his contract.

And, in June, he said on a podcast that his son was “ready.”

Now, with Steven at the helm, the Tigers face a potentially tumultuous month: The transfer portal will open up for 30 days starting Tuesday, as NCAA rules allow players to transfer after head coaching changes.

Pearl is the most recent big-name coach to abruptly quit while near the top of the sport. Tony Bennett retired from Virginia last October, blaming stress caused by the unrestricted transfer portal and NIL (name, image, and likeness) landscape.

He also holds a major legacy among a network of Jewish basketball coaches. Two decades ago, he cofounded the Jewish Coaches Association and has helped it grow from an annual gathering to a multi-event organization with hundreds of attendees. 

This past April, Pearl was honored at the Final Four with a Jewish Coaches Association lifetime achievement award.