After a year of speculation that he might hang up the clipboard, Vol basketball coach Rick Barnes signed a lifetime contract with Tennessee lats week. The deal keeps three years on Barnes’ contract at all times and ensures that he’ll spend the final years of his career coaching in Knoxville.
Time will tell how many years Barnes will continue coaching, but one of the other top coaches in the SEC might be nearing retirement himself. Former Tennessee head coach and current Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was on Jon Rothstein’s podcast earlier this week and Rothstein asked Pearl how much longer he intends on coaching. Pearl’s answer was surprisingly blunt.
“Not that much longer,” Pearl said. “I think it’s kind of a balance of life, of time, of work. I love Auburn. I truly do. Auburn has been unbelievable for us and our family. Part of the thing is, I want to do it (retire) when I’m on the top of my game. Coaches, we want to be on top of our game because we owe that to our players and our fans. As you get a little bit older, you take it one day at a time.”
There’s been speculation dating back to last season and intensifying this offseason that Pearl might soon hang it up, and maybe even move into a new profession.
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Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, a former Auburn football coach, is running for governor of the state of Alabama, opening up a senate seat in the Yellow Hammer State. Reports and speculation have pointed to Pearl running for the open seat.
An outspoken supporter of Israel in its conflict with Palestine, Pearl has frequently done hits on Fox News and other media outlets this offseason to discuss the war in the Middle East and other political issues. Asked earlier this week about a potential Senate run, Pearl noted his interest while also sidestepping the question.
“It’s certainly something that I had considered,” Pearl told AL.com’s Peter Rauterkas. “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.”
If Pearl decides against a Senate run, he could also pursue other professional avenues. Pearl was a television analyst in the three years between his time at Tennessee and Auburn.
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Pearl has led Auburn to the best run in program history and has built one of the top programs in the SEC. During his 11 years on the plains, Pearl has won a combined four SEC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships with two trips to the Final Four. Ironically, Pearl has made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament just twice at Auburn. But the Tigers made the Final Four each time.
The 2024-25 season was a banner year for the Tigers with Auburn winning the SEC Regular-Season Championship before falling to Florida in the National Semifinal. Asked whether another Final Four appearance gives him more motivation to get back and win a national championship, Pearl downplayed its importance.
“Honestly, not really,” Pearl said. “I did win a Division II national championship in 1995. I finished second in 1994. I’ve been to the game a couple times. If I have a good enough team to get there, then I want to try and get there. If I don’t, I want that team to do the best it’s capable of doing. It’s no greater motivation having gotten close and not won a Division I national championship. I want one really badly but that’s not the reason why.
Auburn projects to take a step back this season after spending nearly the entirety of last season ranked in the nation’s top five. Still, the Tigers should have a top 25 team that makes it back to the NCAA Tournament. Pearl is 9-8 against Tennessee in his time at Auburn with the two teams splitting the last eight matchups and both meetings last season.
