In probably the most shocking moment of the college basketball offseason, Auburn men's coach Bruce Pearl has officially announced his retirement.

The legendary coach shared a 14-minute video via the Auburn basketball account on X where he made his first comments since news broke earlier on Monday.

“I told myself that when I got to the point where I could not give it my all, where I wasn’t necessarily 100%, where I couldn’t be the relentless competitor you expected of me, that it was going to be time,” he said. “And as hard as it is to say this, I’ve reached the realization that it is time for me to step aside.”

After serving 10 years as an assistant coach at Stanford and Iowa, Pearl got his first head coaching gig at then-D-II Southern Indiana. He led the Screaming Eagles to a national championship in 1995, a year after finishing as runner-up.

Pearl got his first Division I head coaching job in 2001 with Milwaukee, where he stayed for four years before heading to Tennessee. He took the Auburn job in 2014.

“After 30 years of being a head coach, lots of sleepless nights, the anxiety, the pressure and quite frankly the fear of not being able to live up to the lofty expectations that we’ve established here at Auburn, I just feel that when I can’t give 100%, it’s time to pass the torch,” he added.

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Ex Auburn coach Bruce Pearl does not plan to run for senate

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl reacts after a play against the Florida Gators during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Though rumors have swirled for weeks that Pearl was considering retirement from coaching in favor of a senate run, he addressed the idea head-on in his video.

“Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate,” he said. “That would have required leaving Auburn. Instead, the University has given me the opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator.”

Had Pearl decided to run, he would have tried for the seat that will soon be vacated by Tommy Tuberville, who was Auburn's head football coach from 1998 to 2008. Tuberville will not seek re-election and is instead running for Governor of Alabama.

“I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be,” Pearl said. “At the same time, as an ambassador at Auburn, I will do everything I can to keep helping Auburn be the very best version of what it possibly can be.”