On Monday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported that Auburn’s longtime head basketball coach Bruce Pearl will retire before the 2025-2026 season starts. Get our free mobile appThe Tigers are expected to hire Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, who was the Tigers' Associate Head coach last season, as the next head coach for Auburn’s basketball team, according to Thamel. Pearl and the Tigers are coming off a final four appearance in 2024, which saw the Tigers fall to Florida, who went on to win the national championship. Before getting the head coaching job at Auburn, Pearl was the head coach for Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana. The legendary basketball coach has voiced his intentions to start his political career, addressing the rumors that his name has been linked as a potential candidate to fill Tommy Tubberville’s open U.S. Senate seat.