Bruce Pearl has decided to step down and retire as Auburn's men's basketball coach, per Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel.
The news broke on Monday afternoon, following speculation that the 65-year-old coach would step down, handing the reins of the Auburn program to his son, Steven, after 11 seasons in charge of the Tigers. In his final season with the Tigers, he helped lead Auburn to a No. 1 ranking in both polls, which they held for eight weeks, a regular-season championship, and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers took care of Alabama State and Creighton in the first two rounds of March Madness in Lexington, Ky., before having a home-court advantage in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in nearby Atlanta. A ferocious second-half comeback against Michigan helped the Tigers get past the Wolverines, before defeating Michigan State to reach the program's second Final Four.
Taking over a program that was in shambles, Pearl helped build one of the most successful programs of the past eight seasons, along with one of the best home-court advantages in college basketball. He led Auburn to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, while also taking the Tigers to No. 1 in the polls twice in four seasons.
Pearl is solely responsible for five of Auburn's nine conference championships in program history, while coaching three All-Americans (Jabari Smith, Walker Kessler and Johni Broome) during his time on the Plains.
He is the all-time leader in coaching wins with 246 over his 11 seasons with the Tigers.
His son, Steven, has served as an assistant coach for Pearl since 2017 and was recently promoted to associate head coach in 2023.
During his tenure, Pearl helped lead Auburn to two Final Fours, three SEC regular-season titles and two SEC Tournament championships.
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.