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19h ago

At SEC Tipoff, Auburn Players Back Steven Pearl as Program Stresses Continuity

Pledges during the transfer window indicate roster stability under the new staff.

Oct 15, 2025; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Auburn player KeShawn Murphy takes the interview stand at SEC Media Day in the Grand Bohemian Hotel.
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Overview

  • Steven Pearl said all 12 scholarship players have reaffirmed they will stay, with about a week left in the 30-day portal window triggered by Bruce Pearl’s Sept. 22 retirement.
  • Tahaad Pettiford, an SEC All-Freshman guard last season, said he is 100% committed and would have remained even if Steven Pearl had been head coach a year earlier.
  • Keyshawn Hall described initial shock at the news but said things have "panned out," citing strong ties with the staff and noting Bruce Pearl still texts players and attends practices.
  • Steven Pearl said Bruce Pearl informed athletic director John Cohen two weeks before the decision, adding that Cohen had long prepared scenarios for the program’s succession.
  • Entering his first season as head coach after 11 years on staff, Steven Pearl emphasized player relationships and continuity, calling his early weeks on the job like drinking from a fire hose.