AUBURN, Ala.—Steven Pearl has been named Auburn men’s basketball head coach, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Monday. Pearl, who has spent the previous 11 seasons on the Auburn staff, served as associate head coach the past two seasons has signed a five-year contract to become the 22nd head coach in program history.
Pearl has been instrumental in helping Auburn win five Southeastern Conference Championships over the last eight years, along with six NCAA Tournament appearances – including the Final Four in 2019 and 2025. He’s also helped produce four NBA Draft first-round picks in Chuma Okeke, Isaac Okoro, Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, and second-round pick Johni Broome.
During Pearl’s time on staff, Auburn has produced and developed seven NBA Draft picks and four All-Americans – more pros than the previous two decades. The Tigers have also won more NCAA Tournament games than any SEC program over the last seven years and earned the program’s first No. 1 ranking during the 2021-22 season, holding that ranking for eight consecutive weeks while being ranked in the top 25 for 32 consecutive weeks.
“I’m incredibly grateful to President Dr. Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen, and the entire Auburn leadership team for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Pearl said. “I’ve spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, learning from one of the best in BP, and building a foundation rooted in character, hard work, and team-first values. We’re not starting over — we’re building forward, with the same principles that have made Auburn Basketball elite. I’m honored to lead this program, and I’m ready to rise to the moment.”
This past season, Pearl helped Auburn to a historic season that saw the Tigers win the SEC Championship, earn the program’s first No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed and make the program’s second Final Four in the last six NCAA Tournaments. Auburn won a school-record 32 games with the most difficult schedule in the country, notching 16 wins over Quad 1 opponents, while being ranked No. 1 for a school-record eight consecutive weeks.
Since taking over defensive leadership of the team four seasons ago, Pearl has led Auburn to a Top 10 national ranking in overall defense three times, becoming one of only four teams in Division I to accomplish the feat.
Auburn’s field goal percentage defense over the last four seasons is best four-year span in school history and its 3-point field goal percentage defense over the last three seasons is the best three-year span in Auburn history. The Tigers have also ranked in the top 13 in the country in effective field goal percentage defense each of the last four seasons.
His Auburn defense over the last four seasons in the Southeastern Conference ranks second in 3-point field goal percentage (.299), third in field goal percentage (.396) and fourth in scoring defense (68.1 ppg).
Beyond leading defensive strategies and in-game play calling for the last four seasons, Pearl has led opponent scouting and has played a huge role in the development of Auburn’s big men during his 11-year tenure on The Plains.
“When I came to Auburn three years ago, Coach Bruce Pearl made it clear to me that he was nearing the end of his coaching days. It was obvious to me – even then – that we needed to create an internal national search to prepare for the time when Coach Pearl would be stepping down,” Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen said.
“Throughout our detailed process, it became obvious to me and our staff that Steven Pearl was clearly the best fit for Auburn. His expertise in coaching defense, his skills as an evaluator, recruiter, teacher and motivator, and his relationships with our student-athletes and staff were paramount.
“As the associate head coach on what I consider to be one of the elite coaching staffs in college basketball, Steven has played a prominent role in Auburn’s unprecedented success.
“The uncommon stability of Auburn’s coaching staff is a huge reason why our men’s basketball program has won five SEC championships and made two trips to the Final Four in the past eight seasons. Keeping that staff intact was a high priority, and very much a part of our decision-making process. We are thrilled to congratulate Steven and Brittany and are excited to watch Steven lead the program into this next chapter.”
His fervent recruiting strategy has helped lead to seven Top 25 high school recruiting classes and the key signings of elite transfer portal talent to help the program reload.
Named one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistant coaches in NCAA Division I basketball by Silver Waves Media the last two years, Pearl has been instrumental in one of the biggest rebuilds in college basketball.
Since 2017, every player who has transferred to Auburn has won an SEC Championship and six have earned All-SEC honors, including two All-Americans.
Over the last four years, Pearl has taken the lead in transfer portal recruiting, landing some of the top transfers in the country in Kessler, Wendell Green Jr., Broome, Denver Jones and Miles Kelly. Kessler earned All-America, National Defensive Player of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-SEC First Team honors in 2022.
Broome developed into one of the best players in Auburn history, as he was named the SEC Player of the Year, National Player of the Year and a unanimous first team All-America selection last season. Green Jr. was a second team All-SEC selection while Jones was named to the SEC’s All-Defensive team.
Auburn has become a hotbed for producing and developing this next-level talent, particularly from the Atlanta area, including the recruitment of current pros Okoro (No. 5 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2020), Kessler (No. 22 overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022) and Sharife Cooper (No. 48 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in 2021).
“There is nobody more qualified or in a position to maintain our culture of faith, family and doing it the Auburn way than Steven. He’s actually tougher than I am, and just as competitive! Out of loyalty to Auburn and me, Steven passed on several previous chances to pursue head coaching opportunities, choosing instead to invest in our men’s basketball program and help it reach unprecedented heights,” Bruce Pearl said. “He has worked tirelessly and been instrumental in the success of our program over the last 11 years. We would not have been in the position to make two Final Fours, win five SEC Championships and win as many games as we have if it wasn’t for Steven and this staff. I am so pleased that the DNA of this program won’t be changing and could not be prouder for Steven, Brittany and Lainey.”
As the program’s academic liaison, 48 student-athletes have graduated over the last 11 years, and Auburn has posted a perfect 1000 APR in six out of the last seven years. The team’s cumulative grade point average has been 3.0 or better in eight of the last 10 years and twice the program has received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award (2021-22 and 2024-25).
Pearl served as acting head coach against North Alabama resulting in his first career coaching victory, 70-44, on Dec. 14, 2021, at Neville Arena.
“Steven Pearl’s uncompromising commitment to building championship basketball teams, his ability to recruit talented student-athletes and develop them into true Auburn men who earn their degrees, make him well suited to become Auburn’s next head coach,” Auburn President Dr. Chris Roberts said. “We look forward to now watching Steven lead this elite program into the future and continue guiding Auburn men’s basketball to the extraordinary successes he has helped our teams achieve over the past decade.”
In April of 2022, he also participated in the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Athletic Director U’s invitation-only Collegiate Coaching Consortium at the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans. The consortium brought together rising basketball coaches and Division I athletic directors for a rigorous, multi-day academy, helping those rising coaches prepare for their first head coaching opportunity.
Pearl spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons as the director of basketball operations after his first year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. As the director of operations, he was in charge of team travel while also helping plan team practices, working with the team’s academics and all of the Auburn Basketball Camps.
Pearl was a four-year letterwinner for his father, Bruce Pearl, at Tennessee, playing in 101 games from 2007-11. He helped Tennessee to back-to-back SEC East Championships in 2008 and 2009, with the ‘08 team winning the league by two games over Kentucky and Mississippi State. He also appeared in the NCAA Tournament each year he was a part of the program with the Volunteers advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2007 and 2008 and the Elite 8 in 2010.
Pearl, who was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in marketing and international business in December 2010. He has also taken classes towards a graduate degree.
He and his wife, Brittany, have a daughter, Lainey, born in December 2024.
STEVEN PEARL STATEMENT
“I’m incredibly grateful to President Dr. Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen, and the entire Auburn leadership team for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, learning from one of the best in BP, and building a foundation rooted in character, hard work, and team-first values. We’re not starting over — we’re building forward, with the same principles that have made Auburn Basketball elite. I’m honored to lead this program, and I’m ready to rise to the moment.”
BRUCE PEARL STATEMENT
“There is nobody more qualified or in a position to maintain our culture of faith, family and doing it the Auburn way than Steven. He’s actually tougher than I am, and just as competitive! Out of loyalty to Auburn and me, Steven passed on several previous chances to pursue head coaching opportunities, choosing instead to invest in our men’s basketball program and help it reach unprecedented heights. He has worked tirelessly and been instrumental in the success of our program over the last 11 years. We would not have been in the position to make two Final Fours, win five SEC Championships and win as many games as we have if it wasn’t for Steven and this staff. I am so pleased that the DNA of this program won’t be changing and could not be prouder for Steven, Brittany and Lainey.”
AUBURN ATHLETICS DIRECTOR JOHN COHEN STATEMENT
“When I came to Auburn three years ago, Coach Bruce Pearl made it clear to me that he was nearing the end of his coaching days. It was obvious to me – even then – that we needed to create an internal national search to prepare for the time when Coach Pearl would be stepping down.
“Throughout our detailed process, it became obvious to me and our staff that Steven Pearl was clearly the best fit for Auburn. His expertise in coaching defense and all phases of the game, his skills as an evaluator, recruiter, teacher and motivator, and his relationships with our student-athletes and staff were paramount.
“As the associate head coach on what I consider to be one of the elite coaching staffs in college basketball, Steven has played a prominent role in Auburn’s unprecedented success.
“The uncommon stability of Auburn’s coaching staff is a huge reason why our men’s basketball program has won five SEC championships and made two trips to the Final Four in the past eight seasons. Keeping that staff intact was a high priority, and very much a part of our decision-making process. We are thrilled to congratulate Steven and Brittany and are excited to watch Steven lead the program into this next chapter.”
PRESIDENT DR. CHRIS ROBERTS STATEMENT
“Steven Pearl’s uncompromising commitment to building championship basketball teams, his ability to recruit talented student-athletes and develop them into true Auburn men who earn their degrees, make him well suited to become Auburn’s next head coach. We look forward to now watching Steven lead this elite program into the future and continue guiding Auburn men’s basketball to the extraordinary successes he has helped our teams achieve over the past decade.”