20250320 Mbb Vs Alst Zb 0110 E1756995951754 — Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl during the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

It has been a rumor-filled offseason for Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl. And a lot of it comes from his interview appearances where he talks about his own personal goals.

The latest happened Thursday morning when Pearl was on Inside College Basketball Now podcast with Jon Rothstein.

When asked if he wanted to stay in coaching much longer, Pearl had an answer that some Tiger fans may not like.

“Not that much longer, Jon. I think it’s kind of a balance of life, time and work. I love Auburn, I truly do. Auburn has been unbelievable for us and our family. Part of the thing is I also want to do it when I’m on top of my game. Coaches, we all want to be on top of our game because we owe that to our players and our fans. When you get a little bit older, you take it one day at a time.”
Bruce Pearl, Auburn men’s basketball coach

The comments come on the heels of an offseason that has included rumors and questions about Pearl potentially running for political office.

But for now, Pearl remains in charge of the Tigers as the program heads into its 12th season under the head coach.

Auburn basketball under Bruce Pearl

Img 0553 Scaled E1743622059134 — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl walks out to a swarm of fans. (Ella Walton / The Bama Buzz)

Auburn is coming off its second Final Four appearance under Pearl, falling in the national semifinal both times.

Still, it’s hard to argue against Pearl being the most successful coach in program history. During his time on The Plains, Auburn has:

244-123 record
3 SEC regular season championships
2 SEC Tournament championships
6 NCAA Tournament appearances
2 Final Four appearances

Pearl was asked about if the recent success makes him want to stay to complete the quest to bring a national title to Auburn for the first time in program history.

“Honestly, not really. I did win a Division II national championship in 1995, I did finish second in 1994 so I’ve been to the game a couple of times. If I have a good enough to get there, I want to try to get there. And if I don’t, I want that team to the best its capable of doing. It’s not greater motivation having gotten close and not won a Division I national championship. I want one really badly but that’s not the reason why.”
Bruce Pearl

Pearl had a roughly half-hour long conversation with Rothstein on the podcast where he discussed things like: