Auburn’s Bruce Pearl unlikely to run for Senator, but doesn’t see himself coaching ‘much longer’

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl has been reportedly/allegedly mulling a run for Alabama’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat, but is leaning against it, according to a report this week from the Jewish Insider. Pearl, 65, said as recently as a week ago that running for the Senate is something he has “considered,” which tracks with the political passion he has long expressed publicly.

Pearl’s aspirations are of particular note given news earlier this year that former Auburn football coach and current Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville will run as a candidate for the state’s governor and will not pursue a second term in the Senate.

According to the report from the Jewish Insider, Pearl spent the summer meeting with campaign operatives and Republicans weighing a run at the senate seat and has given himself until the end of the month to make a final decision. Last week when asked about it, Pearl played coy about the opportunity with reporters but did not dispute the rumors of his interest.

“I have not answered the question because I’ve never announced I was running for senate, have I?” Pearl said at the Mike Slive Foundation’s Blue Shoe Ball, via AL.com. “So, how do you answer the question whether you are or whether you aren’t because I never said I was.”

He later added: “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.”

Sources previously told CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander earlier this summer that Pearl would not actually go through with running for a Senate seat this year.

Whether Pearl does or does not pursue a career politically now, it seems possible he does so in the near future. His comments surrounding political aspirations come at an interesting time after telling Jon Rothstein this week that he doesn’t want to coach “that much longer.” 

“I think it’s kind of a balance of life, of time, of work,” Pearl said. “I love Auburn. I truly do. … Part of the thing is, I also want to [retire] when I’m on top of my game.”

Pearl has a 706-268 record, including a Division II national championship with Southern Indiana in 1995 and two Final Four appearances with Auburn (2019, 2025).

Auburn basketball has been rejuvenated under Pearl’s tutelage, with seven of its eight winningest seasons in program history coming under his watch since he took over the program in 2014. That success has included three SEC regular-season titles in addition to the Final Four runs.

Pearl and the Tigers have high hopes again this season after advancing to the Final Four earlier this year. They return second-year guard Tahaad Pettiford, the third-leading scorer, from a team that won 32 games and won the SEC. Due to his success and longevity, Pearl ranks among the 10 most prominent coaches in college basketball, which is why his future plans are a point of intrigue in the sport.