Jeff Borzello
Joe Lunardi
Joe Lunardi
Senior Writer, ESPN.com
Resident college basketball bracketologist for ESPN
Contributor to SportsCenter, ESPN Insider
Published first public bracket in 1995
Bruce Pearl joins a growing list of high-profile men’s college basketball head coaches to retire in recent years, announcing his decision to leave Auburn on Monday — 42 days before the 2025-26 season is set to tip off.
“I’ve been a part of college basketball for almost 50 years, and the truth is, it’s time,” Pearl said tearfully in a video. “I told myself when I got to the point where I could not give it my all, or I wasn’t necessarily 100 percent, or I couldn’t be the relentless competitor that [Auburn fans] expected of me, that it was going to be time.”
Pearl retires with a 694-270 all-time record as a head coach at Southern Indiana (1992-2001), Milwaukee (2001-05), Tennessee (2005-11) and Auburn (2014-25). His 232-125 record at Auburn makes him the winningest head coach in program history. He also took the Tigers to two Final Fours in his 11 seasons, including as a No. 1 seed in 2025.
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Steven Pearl — his son, and an associate head coach who has been with Auburn since Bruce Pearl took the helm in 2014 — will take the reins as the Tigers look to make another NCAA tournament run.
What can we expect of him? How will his father’s legacy be remembered? ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Joe Lunardi answer the biggest questions.
How will Bruce Pearl’s legacy be defined?
Borzello: There were certainly low points — namely the three-year show-cause for lying to the NCAA regarding recruiting violations — but I believe Pearl’s legacy will be as a motivator and program-builder.
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Reflecting on the legacy of Auburn’s Bruce Pearl
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello joins SEC Now: Open Mic to give his insight on what legacy Pearl has left on college basketball, stating that he’s one of the best motivators we’ve seen.
There are the viral clips of Pearl going shirtless in the student section at football games, rallying support on the sideline. His energy was needed at a place like Auburn, which had gone 11 years without an NCAA tournament appearance before he took over. And he took the Tigers from the bottom tier of the SEC to a consistent contender at the top of what is arguably the best conference the sport has ever seen with three league titles.
It was a similar story at Tennessee, which had gone four years without a tournament appearance when the Vols hired Pearl — and then went to six straight tourneys, including three second-weekend NCAA tournament appearances.
From a personality and flexibility standpoint, Pearl was made for this era of college basketball.
How does his retirement impact expectations for Auburn in 2025-26?
Borzello: After a coach leaves a program, players have a 30-day window to transfer, so the first question we need an answer to is whether any Tigers will enter the portal. When Virginia’s Tony Bennett stepped down last October, Jalen Warley transferred and ended up redshirting at Gonzaga.
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The timing of Bruce Pearl’s decision makes transferring potentially challenging for a number of reasons. Most programs don’t have the money to add a notable player to this year’s roster, and most players won’t want to redshirt the entire season. Could a player fight for eligibility and play during the spring? Perhaps, but that’s a risk.
As it stands, Auburn has a top-15 roster. Tahaad Pettiford is a legitimate All-American candidate after establishing himself as one of the elite and most entertaining playmakers in the country in a sixth-man role last season. Pearl also added a handful of impact transfers, led by Keyshawn Hall from UCF and KeShawn Murphy from Mississippi State. The roster is good enough to stay near the top of the SEC and win multiple games in the NCAA tournament, but the loss of Pearl does change the equation.
How does his retirement impact the Tigers’ NCAA tournament outlook?
Lunardi: Bruce might not have left his son, Steven, with a Final Four team, but we still project the Tigers no worse than a No. 4 seed as official practices begin.
The larger question is whether the SEC can repeat its historic power and depth from last season when the conference secured a record 14 NCAA tournament bids and Auburn joined eventual national champion Florida as a No. 1 seed. Let’s count on some regression at both the program and conference levels in 2025-26 and forecast a slight decline from the on-paper projections, but the Tigers still have second-weekend upside.
What will the first order of business be for Steven Pearl?
Borzello: Keep the roster intact — specifically, keep Pettiford in an Auburn uniform.
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I have no doubt there are schools already calling Pettiford and his agent to see if there’s a chance he will transfer and play elsewhere this season. But Steven Pearl has to keep Pettiford on the team and then make sure the incoming transfers move forward as well.
Steven Pearl will be under a great deal of pressure replacing the Tigers’ winningest coach, stepping into his father’s shoes and taking over a Final Four program — all as a first-time head coach. Doing it without the caliber of the current roster would make things infinitely more difficult.
How should Year 1 of Steven Pearl be evaluated?
Borzello: I don’t know if there are grace periods in the SEC. Steven Pearl will be expected to build on his father’s legacy and keep Auburn in the conversation near the top of the conference. Even with Bruce Pearl, this team wasn’t going to be the favorite in the league or a favorite to go to back-to-back Final Fours. But if Steven Pearl can keep things ticking forward, stay in the top 20 nationally and win a couple of games in the NCAA tournament, the fan base should be thrilled.
Avoiding a sudden, steep drop-off after everything his father has done with the basketball program will be the measuring stick in my opinion.
