The Auburn men's basketball program is going from one Pearl to another.

Head coach Bruce Pearl will retire effective immediately and move into an ambassador’s role in the athletic department, while his son Steven Pearl will be promoted to head coach beginning with the 2025-26 season.

The younger Pearl had served as an assistant under his father for the last 11 seasons, including being associate head coach the past two seasons. He signed a five-year contract to become the 22nd head coach in Auburn men's basketball history.

Bruce Pearl spent 11 seasons at the helm, leading Auburn to a 246-125 record with two Final Four appearances (2019 and 2024). In his 21 seasons as a Division I head coach at Milwaukee, Tennessee and Auburn, Pearl went 477-224 with 14 NCAA Tournament appearances.

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