Bruce Pearl isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The current Auburn men’s basketball head coach recently agreed to a new 8 year contract extension that will keep him at the University through at least 2030.
Terms of the deal include a $5.4M base salary, with a $250K escalator clause which will top out at $7.15M in 2030.
“The family and I are going to be able to stay and be your basketball coach for a long, long time,” Pearl said in a recently released social media video. “I’m grateful. I’m humbled and I’m blessed to be your coach.”
Auburn initially hired Pearl following his dismissal from Tennessee in 2014. The coach would inherit a program that hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2003 when he arrived on campus. However it didn’t take long for him to turn things around.
The rebuild has reached a crescendo this year with the Tigers securing the first #1 ranking in program history with a 19-1 record. Pearl’s squad is currently 8-0 in conference play, 10-0 at home, and riding a 16 game winning streak.
The Tigers lone loss came to UConn in a 115-109 shootout back in November. Since then, Auburn has survived some close calls but has also looked dominant for long stretches as well. The 61 year old coach led Auburn to their first Final Four appearance back in 2019, and were 25-6 when the tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID.
Timing of the deal was far from coincidental as there were rumours that Pearl might be tapped to become the next head coach at Louisville following Chris Mack’s departure. In his 8 seasons at Auburn, the Tigers have gone 157-93.
The former Volunteers head coach has recently landed several high profile players on the recruiting circuit including 5-star freshman Jabari Smith, and 4-star 2022 recruit Chance Westry.
The “Pearl Effect” has been felt across campus at Auburn, as every Tigers home game has been a sellout this year. More so than that, the University has been sold out of season ticket packages for the past 7 years under Peal, and there is currently a lengthy waiting list for fans to get their hands on any kind of ticket packages.
Pearl and the Tigers are next in action Saturday against the Oklahoma Sooners.