News of Bruce Pearl’s retirement shocked the college basketball world on Monday, Sept. 22.
The Auburn men’s basketball coach had just led the Tigers to the program’s second-ever Final Four appearance in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Auburn’s season ended with a loss to Todd Golden and the eventual national champion Florida Gators in the national semifinal.
Pearl’s announcement comes just 42 days ahead of Auburn’s season opener on Monday, Nov. 3, against Bethune-Cookman. Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, is reportedly set to take over as the Tigers coach for the 2025-26 season.
With Pearl’s sudden retirement, he is walking away from one of the largest contracts for a men’s college basketball coach at a public school. Here’s what you need to know about Pearl’s salary and what he owes Auburn after his sudden retirement:
Bruce Pearl salary, contract details
According to a copy of Pearl’s contract at Auburn, obtained by the USA TODAY Network, Pearl was set to be paid $6.15 million for the 2025-26 college basketball season, not including athletic or academic performance bonuses. That figure likely would have made him one of the five highest paid men’s basketball coaches at a public school.
Since May 1, 2022, Pearl has been working under a contract that had been set to run eight years, with his basic annual pay starting at $5.4 million and increasing by $250,000 annually.