Bruce Pearl had little reason to hold back his pride after a meaningful milestone for the Pearl family. His son, Steven Pearl, earned rare recognition by becoming only the second debut head coach in the past 20 years to secure consecutive seventh-place finishes in the AP Top 25 poll. The achievement places him alongside Jon Scheyer, who accomplished the same feat with Duke in 2021!
Bruce Pearl shared this fantastic trivia through his X account, where he congratulated both coaches on this impressive milestone that they had achieved in their respective careers. However, for Steven Pearl’s path this season has been anything but simple.
Following a coach who defined Auburn basketball brings pressure few experience. Expectations rise instantly, with little room for patience. Bruce Pearl set a towering standard, leading Auburn to NCAA Final Fours in 2019 and 2025, winning four SEC regular-season titles in 2018, 2022, and 2025, along with SEC tournament crowns in 2019 and 2024. Naturally, the shoes were not easy to fill.
In the last 20 years, the only first year head coaches to be ranked in the first seven AP polls of their career: Two of my favorites… I’m just sayin!
9 – Jon Scheyer, Duke
7 – Steven Pearl, Auburn@DukeMBB @AuburnMBB @TNTSportsUS
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) December 16, 2025
One wrong move or a string of bad results would have raised a few questions about Steven’s eligibility for the role. With Bruce Pearl being his father, this passing of the torch could have also hinted towards subtle nepotism, which is heavily frowned upon. Yet Steven Pearl has moved quickly to quiet any doubts.
Through 11 games, Auburn sits at 8-3, showing steady progress under his guidance. While heavy losses to Michigan and Arizona tested the group, the Tigers pushed Houston to the final possession. Since then, Auburn has taken care of business, rolling past Jackson State, Merrimack, and most recently Chattanooga, among others.
The current season might not have been as extravagant as Bruce Pearl’s last season dominance, which culminated in a Final Four finish, but the results show that the team is in the right hands and, if given time under Pearl, can surely develop as one of the top teams in college basketball.
Will Auburn be able to keep this up?
Auburn now sits at No. 21 in the AP Poll with 283 points, comfortably ahead of Georgia at No. 25 with 83. That gap suggests the Tigers should hold their ground in the coming weeks. Still, rankings are never settled for long. Auburn’s path has been steady so far, but tougher tests lie ahead, and how they respond will ultimately decide how long this momentum lasts.
Tough competition lies ahead as some of the heavyweight teams will look to steer the Tigers off the course – Purdue, TexasA&M, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, and more. With that being said, Auburn is no less of a team.
Keyshawn Hall is the leading point collector for Auburn with 20.9 points and also has 8.8 rebounds. While Tahaad Pettiford (16.1) and Kevin Overton (10.6) are also standing out with their consistency. The Tigers are in the 9th position at the moment in the SEC conference and have an FGM (Field Goals Made) percentage of 28.7 and cumulative points of 86.5.
With the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the top with 98.3 points on board, there will be some climbing up to do, and that would require proper homework. Steven Pearl definitely has the tools to fix those issues, and if he lacks ideas, he can surely call in the man who taught him all the tools – Bruce Pearl.
Steven had even said that during one of his press conference sessions with CBS.”I am going to ask him to come to practice every once in a while,” so it clearly shows that despite being a former man in charge, Pearl Sr. still is a gravitating force around Auburn.
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