Former ESPN host Bomani Jones didn’t hold back his take on Bruce Pearl stepping down from his role as the head coach of the Auburn men’s basketball team.
Pearl coached at Auburn from 2014-2025, leading the program to the Final Four twice. His son, Steven, will now be the head coach of the Tigers. He was the team’s associate head coach for the past two seasons. The athletic department rewarded Pearl’s son on Monday with a five-year deal.
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“I’m incredibly grateful to President Dr. Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen, and the entire Auburn leadership team for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Steven Pearl said in a press release. “I’ve spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, learning from one of the best in BP, and building a foundation rooted in character, hard work, and team-first values. We’re not starting over — we’re building forward, with the same principles that have made Auburn Basketball elite. I’m honored to lead this program, and I’m ready to rise to the moment.”
While some people are indifferent about Pearl stepping down at Auburn, it’s pretty apparent that Jones isn’t a fan of his work. He made that clear on the latest episode of his podcast, “The Right Time.”
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – MARCH 04: Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers looks on against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half at Reed Arena on March 04, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Jones said on his podcast that Pearl is “probably” his least-favorite college basketball coach of all time.
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“I can’t think of anybody emptier than Pearl,” Jones said, via Awful Announcing. “He’s a good basketball coach, there’s no way around that part. He just seems like a guy who says whatever it is that needed to be said at a given point in time, and it all felt so phony. Then the last couple of years, he decided to show us just how real he was, and I liked that even less.”
College basketball fans fired back at Jones.
“Pearl, like Tony Bennett, deserves to be ripped for leaving just before the season starts. Anything else is just personal and deserves no attention,” one fan said.
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“So a guy that covers sports says the guy is a great coach – but feels the need to “shred” him based on his personal opinion of him. remember when sports people talked sports? I don’t,” a second fan commented.
“It’s not possible for Jones to shred anyone,” a third fan wrote. “He’s insignificant.”
Even though Pearl has stepped down from his role at Auburn, he’ll remain with the school in an ambassador role.
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“Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate, maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama,” Pearl said. “That would’ve required leaving Auburn. And instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator.”
If Pearl ends up running for the U.S. Senate in the coming years, he might just receive a bit more criticism from Jones.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
