When Bruce Pearl announced his retirement from Auburn basketball, the succession plan wasn’t exactly a mystery. Steven Pearl, his son and longtime assistant, was always expected to take the reins when the time came. That moment arrived ahead of the 2025-26 season, and with it came a wave of skepticism - not necessarily about Steven’s basketball knowledge, but about whether he was ready to lead a high-major program on his own.
Let’s be honest: following a legacy is never easy, especially when that legacy helped elevate Auburn basketball to national relevance. Bruce Pearl didn’t just coach - he built a culture, a standard, and a consistent winner.
Now, Steven’s job is to sustain that success while putting his own stamp on the program. That’s a tall order for any coach, let alone one in his first season at the helm.
The early results? Mixed - but far from disastrous.
Auburn’s 2025-26 campaign has had its bumps, no question. The team hasn’t quite looked like the well-oiled machine fans have grown used to in recent years.
But this isn’t a program in freefall. In fact, there have been some real flashes of resilience and potential under Steven’s leadership.
Take the comeback win over St. John’s in Las Vegas - a gritty performance that showed this team can respond when its back is against the wall.
Or the road win at Florida, a place Auburn hadn’t won in three decades. That’s not just a good win; that’s a statement.
And then there’s the rally to knock off Texas after trailing by double digits - another example of a team that refuses to fold.
Of course, it hasn’t all gone Auburn’s way. An overtime loss at Georgia to open SEC play stung, especially since the Tigers had chances to close it out.
And the near-buzzer-beater against Texas A&M - the kind of game that can swing momentum for an entire month - slipped through their fingers. Those are the types of games that could’ve changed the narrative around this season entirely if just one or two plays had gone differently.
But here’s the reality: growing pains were inevitable. Whether Auburn handed the job to Steven Pearl or brought in a veteran head coach with a long résumé, there was always going to be a transition period. That’s just the nature of college basketball when a program icon steps away.
Steven Pearl is still finding his voice as a head coach. He’s learning how to manage the full scope of a program, how to make in-game adjustments with the spotlight squarely on him, and how to handle the pressure that comes with high expectations. That process takes time - and it deserves more than a single season to play out.
The foundation Bruce Pearl laid isn’t gone. It’s still there - in the way Auburn competes, in the culture inside the locker room, and in the flashes we’ve already seen this year. Steven Pearl has inherited that foundation, and now he’s building on it in real time.
So while the 2025-26 season hasn’t been perfect, it’s far from a failure. There’s enough here to believe that Steven Pearl’s story as Auburn’s head coach is still being written - and it might just turn out to be a good one.