While Bruce Pearl may have retired from coaching, the former Auburn head coach won’t be hard to find for college basketball fans this season.
On Thursday, both CBS and TNT Sports announced that Pearl will be serving as an analyst for their networks during the upcoming 2025-26 campaign. At CBS, the 65-year-old will call games and work as a studio analyst during the regular season, while his TNT role will place him in the network’s studio alongside host Adam Lefkoe and fellow analysts Jalen Rose and Jamal Mashburn.
As for the NCAA Tournament, the 4-time SEC Coach of the Year will be a part of the studio team for both networks, which provide joint coverage of “The Big Dance.” Meanwhile, former Purdue star Robbie Hummel will return as a game analyst for the tournament, in addition to calling regular-season games and working in the studio for CBS.
CBS SPORTS STRENGTHENS ROSTER OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL ANALYSTS WITH BRUCE PEARL AND ROBBIE HUMMEL‼️@coachbrucepearl and @RobbieHummel to call CBS regular-season games and contribute to studio coverage, as well as CBS Sports and TNT Sports’ joint coverage of March Madness. pic.twitter.com/D5Ds97g2ar
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) October 16, 2025
“I’ve long admired and deeply respected the way TNT Sports delivers the best studio shows in the industry, along with the way they treat everyone as family, and I could not be more excited to join the amazing team they’ve assembled to cover college basketball,” Pearl said in a statement. “The product has never been in better shape on the court and I’m going to bring the same passion I displayed as a coach to broadcasting. I can’t wait for the start of the season.”
News of Pearl’s new gigs comes just weeks after his abrupt retirement from Auburn following the Tigers’ run to last season’s Final Four. While he had previously been linked to a potential U.S. Senate run, the Boston native has since opted against such a career path, opening the door for a potential Paul Finebaum run in Alabama instead.
While Pearl has become a polarizing figure thanks to his public political stances, there’s no questioning his status as one of college basketball’s biggest personalities. As such, this seems like a big win for CBS and TNT Sports, although it perhaps also shouldn’t come as a surprise that he didn’t land at ESPN.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.