ESPN Predicts How Bruce Pearl's Retirement Affects Auburn Basketball in 2025-26

Despite the college basketball season being a little more than a month away, Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers were national headline makers on Monday when the program's all-time winningest coach decided to retire.

Pearl left a void in a program that was quickly filled by his son, Steven, who got a five-year contract to take over as Auburn's head coach.

Despite the continuity of having a long-time Auburn assistant coach take over, one about as close to Pearl as you could possibly get, it's difficult for Tiger fans not to be apprehensive in losing the man who brought the program to national relevance.

"He took the Tigers from the bottom tier of the SEC to a consistent contender at the top of what is arguably the best conference the sport has ever seen, with three league titles," ESPN's Jeff Borzello wrote on Monday.

So, ESPN asks and answers the big question facing Auburn in 2025-26: How will Pearl's retirement affect the upcoming season?

The Auburn players have a 30-day window to transfer, but this close to the season, and with the continuity of the program, Borzello believes Auburn will retain the bulk of its roster.

"The timing of Bruce Pearl's decision makes transferring potentially challenging for a number of reasons," Borzello wrote on ESPN. "Most programs don't have the money to add a notable player to this year's roster, and most players won't want to redshirt the entire season. Could a player fight for eligibility and play during the spring? Perhaps, but that's a risk."

Pearl lost all five starters from his Final Four team, but he did an excellent job of restocking the cupboard and retaining sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford.

"As it stands, Auburn has a top-15 roster," Borzello wrote. "Tahaad Pettifordis a legitimate All-American candidate after establishing himself as one of the elite and most entertaining playmakers in the country in a sixth-man role last season. Pearl also added a handful of impact transfers, led by Keyshawn Hall from UCF and KeShawn Murphy from Mississippi State.

"The roster is good enough to stay near the top of the SEC and win multiple games in the NCAA tournament, but the loss of Pearl does change the equation."

The Auburn Tigers are hoping that having Steven Pearl take over will limit the variables in the equation, but there's no doubt that things have changed.

Auburn once again has loaded its non-conference schedule with national powers, including Houston, Memphis, Oregon, Michigan, NC State, and Arizona. They have an exhibition game on October 15th against Oklahoma State before the regular season tips off on October 30th in Atlanta against Memphis.