Bruce Pearl Admits 'Nepotism' Played A Role In Son Getting Auburn Job, As Tigers Sit On NCAA Bubble

Former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl has finally answered the question that some folks have been hounding him about since retiring before the college basketball season started. Yes, nepotism played a factor in naming his replacement. 

When Steven Pearl was named the new Auburn basketball coach, there were skeptics around the sport that characterized him as a ‘nepo baby’, meaning the only reason he got the job was because his father set him up for success, along with picking the perfect time to step aside. 

Steven Pearl head coach of Auburn Tigers. (Photo by Stew Milne/Getty Images)

This left the Tigers without enough time to launch a national search for their next head basketball coach, which left plenty of fans wondering if this was the right move, in Auburn signing Steven Pearl to a long-term deal. 

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In speaking with Dan Dakich on Wednesday, Pearl had plenty to say about the Tigers being on the NCAA Tournament bubble, while also not shying away from one of the reasons his son landed the Auburn job. 

"Right now, Auburn is on the bubble," Bruce Pearl said about his former team. "They are either going to play their way in, or play their way out. Ok, that's going to be determined. Had they beaten Ole Miss last Saturday, they beat LSU last night, it may have been enough. Looks to me like they have to win one more to get in. 

"That's objectively how I feel. Am I rooting for my son to make the NCAA Tournament? Of course I am. Did I help my son get the (Auburn) job, nepotism? Of course, I did. People want to accuse me of something, saying, Yeah, I love the United States of America. I love my ancestral Jewish homeland. No, I'm not going to deny who I am, and who I've always been."

Ok, well, that about wraps up the conversation here on this topic. Yes, Bruce Pearl had a plan to get his son the Auburn job once he retired. What father wouldn't do that? 

Now, whether Pearl picked the precise moment to step aside so that Auburn would have no other choice but to name Steven the new head coach is up for debate. 

But, if Auburn did not believe that the younger Pearl could lead the basketball team into the future, I would imagine athletic director John Cohen was smart enough to just have allowed Steven to coach out the season, then launch a national coaching search. 

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So, there is a bit of give and take with this one. Yes, Bruce helped his son, and he will actively push for the Tigers to make the NCAA Tournament. Thankfully, he's not on the NCAA committee that will decide which teams play in the postseason. 

If that were the case, we'd probably be having a different conversation around his remarks on Miami (OH) being worthy enough to make the NCAA Tournament. 

It's good to see that Pearl is finally embracing the ‘Nepo Baby’ talk, and he's obviously not running from it.