After 40-plus years on the sidelines, Bruce Pearl is moving on from college basketball.
The Auburn Tigers' longtime head coach plans to retire from coaching, he announced on Monday, Sept. 22. As Pearl steps down, his son, Steven, will be appointed as the Tigers' next head coach.
Pearl, 65, took over as Auburn's head coach in 2014 at the end of a three-year show-cause penalty for infractions committed during his time as Tennessee's head coach. He leaves coaching with over 700 NCAA wins and two Division I Final Four appearances to his name.
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Here is more on why Pearl is stepping down now and what it could mean for his future.
Why is Bruce Pearl retiring?
Pearl announced his retirement with a 14-minute video shared to the program's official social media account. The news comes just weeks before the 2025-26 college basketball season officially begins.
Dear Auburn Family, I truly love you.@CoachBrucePearl x #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/xFJAEetMLv
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) September 22, 2025
"Eleven years ago, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to become the head basketball coach at Auburn, and it has been nothing short of amazing," Pearl said.
"I have been at this for almost 50 years and truthfully as hard as it is for me to say this, I have come to the realization that it’s time for me to step aside. Being the head coach at Auburn has been the privilege of my life."
The 2024-25 season was one of Pearl's best on The Plains, as he led Auburn to a 32-6 record and the second Final Four appearance in program history. Both Final Four appearances came under Pearl's watch.
Pearl had hinted that he didn't have much time left coaching before.
MORE: A look back at Bruce Pearl's coaching timeline
Is Bruce Pearl running for U.S. Senate?
Pearl is not running for U.S. Senate, he announced in the video.
"Many of you know that I thought about running for US senate... That would've required leaving Auburn. Instead, the University has given me an opportunity to stay here, and be Auburn's senator, as an ambassador at Auburn."
On Sept. 9, Pearl was reportedly "giving himself until the end of the month" to decide on his political career. The news of his retirement surfaced on Monday, Sept. 22.
Here is what Pearl recently said about a potential career in politics:
"It's certainly something that I had considered," Pearl said in early September. "It's something I thought a great deal about, but obviously I'm here today and I'm in practice and I've got practice tomorrow."
MORE: Revisiting Bruce Pearl's history of political comments on 2024 election and more
Bruce Pearl career timeline
After a decade as an assistant coach, Pearl's first head coaching job came at Division II Southern Indiana. The 1995 national title highlighted Pearl's nine seasons at Southern Indiana, and he moved on to the Division I level in 2001.
Pearl has been the head coach at UW-Milwaukee, Tennessee, and Auburn.
| Years | School | Record |
| 1992-2001 | Southern Indiana | 231-46 (.834) |
| 2001-05 | UW-Milwaukee | 86-38 (.694) |
| 2005-2011 | Tennessee | 145-61 (.704) |
| 2014-2025 | Auburn | 244-123 (.665) |
| Career | 706-268 (.725) |
Who is Steven Pearl?
Steven Pearl is Bruce's son. He was appointed to associate head coach at Auburn ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Steven attended high school in Wisconsin and Tennessee, following the stops in his father's coaching career. Steven appeared in 101 games over four seasons while playing for his father at Tennessee from 2007-11.