It’s been a rough start for Steven Pearl at Auburn. Taking over the side from his four-time SEC Coach of the Year father, Bruce Pearl, the expectations are high. The Tigers were smacked by No.1 Arizona 97-68, leading to a slip in the latest AP Poll. While it’s only one place, from No.20 to No.21, the Tigers are 1-3 against ranked teams this season. That has led to some criticism of the young coach, and of course, the nepotism allegations are a part of that. However, the Pearl himself remains unperturbed. 

“I get why people say the things that they did. I get that people may look at this and say this is a nepotism hire. I get why people may say that, I haven’t earned my marks and all these things,” Steven Pearl said in an interview with Dan Dakich. Succeeding one of the legendary coaches is no easy task, when that legend is your father, it makes things stickier. 

He has already explained that his coaching style is poles apart from his father’s. “I’m a little more data-driven, analytically based, as far as how I make decisions. And BP is one of those guys who’s old school… So I think I’m a little more new school in that aspect of things,” He said in October. As of now, Pearl is paying no heed to the nepotism claims. 

“I just got to be secure in the fact that I’ve busted my ass my entire career, whether it be being a walk-on at Tennessee or starting as an assistant strength coach here at Auburn and kind of working my way up through operations and assistant coaching and defensive coordinator, associate head coach,” He said.

Pearl has the CV to be a deserving head coach. He played in 101 games for Tennessee under his father. After getting bored with his sales job in 2014, Steven joined his father at Auburn, and he has been moving up the ladder ever since. Steven did not get a spot beside the head coach just because he was his son. 

During his tenure, the program has developed 7 NBA Draft picks. The No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr., No. 5 overall pick Isaac Okoro, No. 16 overall pick Chuma Okeke, and No. 22 overall pick Walker Kessler. In 2023, he was elevated to Associate Head Coach and was in charge of the defensive coordination.  

“I’ve seen all the different levels of this program and what it’s taken to be successful. So, I just got to be comfortable in my own skin, that I know I’ve put the work in. I know I’m deserving,” he concluded. 

Auburn’s defense flourished under Steven. They ranked in the top 10 nationally in defense thrice in the last four seasons and have been top-10 in adjusted efficiency metrics at KenPom.com each of the last two seasons. So far, that defensive stability hasn’t yet translated to his head coaching tenure, as they are 72nd best defense per KenPom. That is also partly due to their tough schedule, something Steven feels will ultimately help them get a good seeding at the NCAA tournament. 

Steven Pearl Defends Tough Non-Conference Scheduling

Bruce Pearl decided to throw his son right into the fire. It was a staple of the Bruce Pearl era to schedule at a high level in nonconference play, and that continued for Steven Pearl’s Year 1 squad. They lost to the new AP No.1 Arizona last week.  Auburn has already faced then-No.1 Houston, Michigan, and St.John’s. Not to mention Oregon and NC State, which were difficult games as well. According to the Warren Nolan website, Auburn has had the 14th most difficult strength of schedule so far. For Steven, this schedule has prepared them for a comparatively lighter conference play. 

“The SEC is good, it’s not as good as it was last year. Like, we’re not going to play in a tougher environment than we did at Arizona against a better team than we did in Arizona. We’re not going to play against a better team than we did in Michigan in a neutral site than we did out in Las Vegas. So, we’re going to be battle-tested.”

Most of the SEC heavyweights are below No.15 in the current AP Poll. Auburn will face Alabama (No. 12), Vanderbilt (No. 14), Arkansas (No. 17), Florida (No. 18), and Tennessee (No. 20) in the SEC. “Ultimately, it’ll help your seeding at the end of the year to put you in a better position to advance in the NCAA tournament,” Pearl further said. 

However, they will still need to fix their defense either way. They went to OT on the opening day against Bethune-Cookman and ended up conceding 90 points. Steven’s squad has bled, especially against top teams. For Steven to completely silence the nepotism murmurs, some tangible results will be needed. 

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