Bruce Pearl retires as Auburn coach, says no to Senate run

Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, seen as a potential Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, is retiring, but he said Washington is not in his future.

“Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate, maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama,” Pearl said in a video announcing his retirement.

“That would have required leaving Auburn, and instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator,” he said, explaining he would be an ambassador for the university. “I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be.”

Pearl had been floated as a candidate to fill the seat of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who is running for Alabama governor in 2026. Tuberville was Auburn’s head football coach from 1999 until 2008. 

Tuberville in May suggested he had tried to dissuade Pearl from a Senate run, pointing to the coach’s $6 million annual paycheck.

“The compensation is a little bit different,” Tuberville told Semafor at the time. “I wouldn’t let him do it because he did such a good job at Auburn. We need him there.”

Jewish Insider reported earlier this month Pearl was leaning against a Senate run.

Pearl, who is Jewish, is an outspoken supporter of Israel and President Trump. He is also on the board of directors for the Birmingham-based U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA), which is “dedicated to educating and serving senior government leaders towards advancing a strong U.S.-Israel collaboration,” according to its website. 

Last week, the 65-year-old shared a Washington Times opinion piece written by USIEA CEO Heather Johnston, which argued Israel should reclaim Judea and Samaria, a term used by some in the Trump administration to refer to the West Bank. 

In February, Pearl also showed support for Trump’s pick of Dan Bongino for deputy FBI director. In a post on the social platform X, Pearl referred to Bongino as a “friend and great patriot.”

“Coach Pearl’s contributions to the game of basketball and the State of Alabama have been extraordinary,” Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl, via a spokesperson, told The Hill. “He has been a tireless advocate for causes close to his heart, especially his outspoken defense of Israel and the American dream. His leadership and willingness to speak out for his values have been an inspiration to many across our state and nation.

“I know he will be deeply missed as Auburn’s head basketball coach, but we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Pearl, who was also the head coach at the University of Southern Indiana, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Tennessee, is the winningest coach in Auburn program history. During his 11-year tenure, he led the Tigers to three Southeastern Conference regular season titles, two Southeastern Conference tournament titles and two Final Four appearances. 

Last season, Auburn racked up a program-record 32 wins, reaching its second national semifinal. 

Auburn opens its season Oct. 15 with an exhibition against Oklahoma State University. The university announced Monday afternoon that Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, who’s an associate head coach at Auburn, is being promoted to head coach.

Since Tuberville announced his run for governor in May, four Republicans have entered the race: Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Rep. Barry Moore, former Trump administration and Tuberville staffer Morgan Murphy and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson. 

Updated at 5:43 p.m. EDT