We all know how rampant and obvious nepotism is in so many fields, especially the world of coaching. Guys with famous dads routinely get a leg up, regardless of whether they deserve it.
But you’re not supposed to just admit it.
Last September, Bruce Pearl shocked the college basketball world when he announced his retirement and immediately handed the reins of the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball program to his son, Steven Pearl.
While the younger Pearl had been an assistant coach with the program since 2017, he had no head coaching experience or any coaching experience outside of Auburn. Still, the school signed him to a five-year contract.
Despite coming off of a Final Four appearance last year under Bruce, the Tigers are currently struggling to make the NCAA Tournament under Steven.
Last week, Bruce, now working as an analyst for TNT Sports, criticized the undefeated Miami RedHawks and said they would be undeserving of an NCAA Tournament spot if they didn’t win their conference tournament, while many pointed out that Auburn was on the bubble fighting for a spot of their own. The elder Pearl initially said that there was no favoritism behind his argument but later admitted outright that nepotism played a role in his son replacing him at Auburn.
During an appearance on Another Dooley Noted Podcast, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum took Bruce Pearl to task over that admission.
“The Auburn thing is pretty embarrassing,” Finebaum said. “Bruce Pearl, who had a show cause for three years after Tennessee, who was banned from the game. It took an act of Congress to get him the Auburn job, his program immediately went under investigation. One of his former coaches ended up going on trial. He lets people think he’s running for Senate, which he wasn’t going to, by the way, and on the day of the first practice, he announces his retirement, and his son gets the job.
“We’ve both seen the movie before. Any father who has a son in coaching, it’s the same thing, except he was able to pull it off because he had capital. Steven Pearl has a couple of big wins under his belt, including one in Florida. But, other than that, he’s been a disaster. He shouldn’t have gotten the job on a full-time basis. He should have been an interim coach for a year, and he wouldn’t have gotten the job for next year.”
Auburn is currently 16-14 and 7-10 in conference play. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, they are on the outside looking in with the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.