Bruce Pearl’s Surprising Next Move: From Auburn Sidelines to Unseen TV Analyst Role Revealed

Bruce Pearl’s done calling the shots on the court, but that doesn’t mean he’s off the spotlight just yet. After hanging up his whistle following a jaw-dropping 34 years as a head coach—11 of which he dominated at Auburn, turning heads and breaking records—Pearl’s switching gears in a big way. Instead of calling plays, he’s now gearing up to break down the action from behind the scenes, joining TNT’s beefed-up college basketball coverage as a fresh voice in the analyst chair. Alongside some familiar names like Adam Lefkoe, Jalen Rose, and Jamal Mashburn, Pearl’s got a new gig dissecting games from the Big East to the Big 12, marking a bold, exciting chapter that Auburn fans—and college hoops aficionados everywhere—will want to watch closely. It’s not just a new job; it’s the next evolution for a man who’s already left an indelible mark on the game and the Auburn program he helped elevate to unprecedented heights. LEARN MORE

It did not take long for former Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl to find another job following his retirement from coaching.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Thursday that Pearl will switch gears from coaching to TV analyst and will join TNT’s expanded college basketball coverage. He will join Adam Lefkoe, Jalen Rose, and Jamal Mashburn as an analyst on TNT’s new college basketball studio show, as the network has expanded to cover games involving teams from the Big East and the Big 12.

Pearl surprisingly announced his retirement last month after 34 seasons as a head coach, with the last 11 seasons of his coaching career spent at Auburn. Pearl posted 246 wins during his time at Auburn from 2014-25, and became the program’s winningest head coach during his final season, passing Joel Eaves’ mark of 213 wins.

After announcing his retirement, Pearl shared that he is proud of what he, his staff, and all of his former players built in 11 seasons under his watch.

“Eleven years ago, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to become the head basketball coach at Auburn, and it has been nothing short of amazing. With the Auburn Family’s unwavering support, we have built a program from the ground up and taken it to heights it had never reached before. Not only have we won championships, but we have built the best home-court advantage in college basketball, we’ve invested in this community and changed lives, and we’ve developed and graduated Auburn men. We built a program with the core tenants of faith, family and passion, and together, we made history. I hope we have made Auburn proud.”

Marchand reports that this will be the first season that TNT will handle a full slate of college basketball games, airing a combined 72 men’s and women’s basketball games this season. Auburn will be a part of TNT’s coverage this season, as they will play Oregon and Michigan on the network as part of the Players Era event in Las Vegas next month.

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