Rarely are days in September as significant to college basketball as Monday was with veteran Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl retiring after 11 years leading the Tigers program. The expectation was for Auburn to name Steven Pearl the program’s interim head coach for the 2025-26 season.
However, Auburn took it one step further signing Steven Pearl to a five-year contract to be the school’s full-time, and not interim, head basketball coach.
“I’ve spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, learning from one of the best in BP, and building a foundation rooted in character, hard work, and team-first values,” Steven Pearl said in a statement. “We’re not starting over — we’re building forward, with the same principles that have made Auburn Basketball elite. I’m honored to lead this program, and I’m ready to rise to the moment.”
Steven Pearl, the son of former coach Bruce Pearl, began his college coaching career with his father at Auburn back in 2014. He began as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and then as the program’s Director of Basketball Operations. Pearl became a full-time assistant coach in 2017 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2023.
Steven became Auburn’s defensive coordinator when he became associate head coach and the Tigers ranked in the top 10 of KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency each of the last two years.
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“When I came to Auburn three years ago, Coach Bruce Pearl made it clear to me that he was nearing the end of his coaching days. It was obvious to me – even then – that we needed to create an internal national search to prepare for the time when Coach Pearl would be stepping down,” Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen said in a statement. “Throughout our detailed process, it became obvious to me and our staff that Steven Pearl was clearly the best fit for Auburn. His expertise in coaching defense, his skills as an evaluator, recruiter, teacher and motivator, and his relationships with our student-athletes and staff were paramount.”
The 38-year old Pearl played his college basketball for his father at Tennessee from 2007-11. Steven played sparingly as a walk-on his first two seasons but averaged over 10 minutes per game in both his junior and senior season. As a senior, Pearl averaged 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
Steven’s relationship with his alma mater has been shaky since Tennessee fired Bruce Pearl in the midst of a NCAA investigation following the 2011 season. Steven Pearl took a shot at Tennessee after Mississippi State bounced the Vols in the 2024 SEC Tournament.
“I was walking to the game today and some Tennessee fans asked me if I was going to a barbecue, trying to throw a little shade,” Pearl said. “And that’s what we watched, Mississippi State barbecued Tennessee. A bunch of grown men went out there and punked Tennessee and Tennessee’s hard team to punk.”
Tennessee basketball faces Auburn just once this coming season, hosting them at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Saturday, Jan. 21.
