Auburn and men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl agreed to a new eight-year contract that will keep him with the Tigers through 2030, the university announced Saturday.
Pearl will earn $5.4 million a year to start, with an annual escalator of $250,000.
The news comes the same week the Auburn program reached No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time.
“By leading Auburn’s men’s basketball program to unprecedented heights, Coach Bruce Pearl has earned this contract extension that’s commensurate with his level of achievement within the Southeastern Conference,” athletic director Allen Greene said in a news release. “We are thrilled to agree on terms that will keep BP on the Plains for many years to come while investing in his assistant coaches and support staff.”
Pearl, 61, is in his eighth season at Auburn after tenures at Milwaukee and Tennessee. When he took over at Auburn in 2014, the Tigers were coming off six sub-.500 seasons in seven years and hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament in 11 years.
The Tigers are 19-1 this season and have won 16 games in a row. They are 8-0 in Southeastern Conference play heading into Saturday afternoon’s home game against Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 challenge.
“My intent when I came to Auburn was to have enough success for this to be my last coaching job,” Pearl said. “My family and I love Auburn University, the proud tradition, our alumni, student and fan support, as well as the close-knit community we have here on the Plains.”
Auburn has been to two NCAA Tournaments under Pearl. In 2019, Auburn reached the Final Four, losing 63-62 to eventual champion Virginia in one national semifinal.
The following year, the Tigers won 25 games, but the tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. His overall record at Auburn is 157-93.
A two-time SEC Coach of the Year, Pearl has a career record of 388-192. At Milwaukee (2001-05), he posted an 86-38 record, followed by a 145-61 mark at Tennessee (2005-11).
–Field Level Media