Bruce Pearl: 4 Things to Know About the Auburn Head Coach

Bruce Pearl has led Auburn to their first-ever Final Four, with victories over Kansas, UNC, and Kentucky along the way. Here’s what you need to know about Auburn’s head coach.

Where did Pearl go to school?

Pearl graduated from Boston College in 1982, where he was the manager of the basketball team.

How long has Pearl coached Auburn?

Pearl was hired in 2014 by Auburn, following a three-year ban from recruitment for violations committed during his time as head coach of Tennessee.

Bruce Pearl Scandal at Iowa

Pearl’s first recruiting scandal came early in his career. When he was an assistant at Iowa, he attempted to undermine the head coach of Illinois by calling a recruit named Deon Thomas and recording the conversation, during which Thomas admitted that Illinois offered him an SUV if he signed with them. Pearl proceeded to turn the recording in to the NCAA. The NCAA found that particular piece of evidence inadmissible, but found several other recruiting violations during their investigation of Illinois and gave them a one-year postseason ban. Pearl’s involvement led to an exclusion from D-1 programs, and was likely the reason he floundered at D-II for 13 years despite leading Southern Indiana to a championship within three years of his hire.

Bruce Pearl Scandal at Tennessee

Pearl’s tenure as head coach at Tennessee would come to an end over violations that Pearl himself ended up committing, as opposed his previous whistleblower status. When the NCAA investigated Tennessee in 2010 for recruiting violations concerning top recruit Aaron Craft, Pearl himself lied about hosting Craft’s family at a cookout, and instructed Craft’s father to lie about it as well. The NCAA found out he lied, and he was prohibited from engaging in any recruitment for three years. Pearl was fired in 2011, and became Auburn’s coach in 2014.