Bruce Pearl will still be a part of the college basketball scene this winter, even though he isn’t coaching any more.
CBS Sports and TNT announced Thursday that Pearl will be an analyst for their coverage during the 2025-26 season.
Pearl will be on TNT’s studio team with Adam Lefkoe, Jamal Mashburn, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber during its first season televising Big East and Big 12 games. Pearl will also be a game and studio analyst for CBS during the regular season.
He will then move to the studio for CBS and TNT during their joint coverage of the NCAA Division I men’s tournament.
It is a natural transition for Pearl, who did studio work for CBS and TNT during years when his teams exited early during March Madness. It’s also a convenient two-hour drive from Pearl’s current home in Auburn, Alabama, to the Turner Network Studios in Atlanta.
The 65-year old Pearl announced his retirement on Sept. 22, less than six months after leading Auburn to its second trip to the Final Four during his 11-year tenure with the Tigers.
“I don’t think it took them 24 hours to reach out,” Pearl said about the interest from networks. “I worked with those guys before and saw how they did things. I was pleased that they called and had some interest.”
In 30 seasons as a head coach, Pearl led Milwaukee, Tennessee and Auburn to a combined 22 NCAA tourney appearances and a 694-270 record. He also won a Division II championship at Southern Indiana.
Pearl and St. John’s coach Rick Pitino shared the AP men’s college basketball coach of the year award last season. It was the first tie in the 58-year history of the honor.
“I’m excited about this next chapter,” Pearl said. “I’m going to try to bring the same passion and intensity, and I look forward to being able to teach a little bit and share some of the nuances of ‘How does that guy get open like that?’ and ‘What did it take for them to be able to get that shot?’ I think the viewer is a lot smarter than what I think many analysts give them credit for.”
Auburn, which will be coached by Steven Pearl, who was on his father’s coaching staff for all 11 seasons at the school, is ranked 20th in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
CBS also announced that former Purdue and NBA player Robbie Hummel, 36, will be a game and studio analyst during the regular season as well as a game analyst during the NCAA tournament.