Bruce Pearl addresses rumor he will run for Tommy Tuberville’s senate seat

“The truth is, it’s time. 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 that you expected of me, that it was going to be time. And as hard as it is to say this, I reached the realization that it’s time for me to step aside,” Pearl said. “I just feel that when I can’t give a hundred percent, it’s time to pass the torch.”

Pearl also addressed the speculation about him running for political office. The 65-year-old said he will not run for Tommy Tuberville’s upcoming senate seat.

“Many you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate. Maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama. That would have required leaving Auburn. And instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be an Auburn senator.”

Tuberville, 71, was the football coach at Auburn from 1999-2008. He won a U.S. senate seat in the 2020 election, but has since said he will run for governor of Alabama in 2026.