Despite the changing of jobs and the different schools, there will always be a close friendship between former Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn and Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl.
Malzahn landed on the Plains in December of 2012 to replace Gene Chizik, and Pearl arrived two years later in 2014 to replace Tony Barbee. The pair formed a strong friendship, one that has lasted beyond Malzahn’s tenure with Auburn football.
One example of their friendship was on display last September when Bruce Pearl made a trip to Malzahn’s new school UCF to support his friend in his coaching debut in the Bounce House. Pearl was decked out in full UCF gear and said that “blood is thicker than water.”
Auburn basketball @coachbrucepearl is at The Bounce House to support his friend, @CoachGusMalzahn, in his debut at #UCF. “Blood is thicker than water. He’s my brother.” pic.twitter.com/5r5ZYH0eCv
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 2, 2021
Then, this past weekend, Bruce Pearl’s squad clinched the SEC regular-season title outright with a big win at home over the South Carolina Gamecocks, and Gus Malzahn took to Twitter to show his support for his friend:
Congrats to my good friend @coachbrucepearl on another SEC Championship! It’s time for Bruce to be the National Coach of the Year!! https://t.co/1gEdbq8Vor
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) March 6, 2022
Not only did Malzahn congratulate Coach Pearl on winning the championship, but he also called for Pearl to win National Coach of the Year. Following a season where the Tigers went undefeated at home and lost only four games all season long, there’s no doubt that Bruce Pearl had a special year with a special team.
And it’s not over yet! The Tigers will head to Tampa, Florida, later this week to go up against some of the toughest teams in the nation in the SEC Tournament. Their first game will be Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. versus the winner of the Texas A&M-Florida game the day before.