Report: Auburn’s Bruce Pearl agrees to eight-year contract extension

The Auburn Tigers have achieved the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll for the first time in school history and the program has decided to reward head coach Bruce Pearl with an eight-year contract extension, per Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. Pearl was a controversial figure when he was hired at Auburn but has taken the program to new heights in his tenure.

Pearl’s tenure started slowly, but he was able to consistently pull in big-time recruits as many expected. That early recruiting success turned into a NCAA Tournament appearance in Pearl’s fourth season and a Final Four trip in his fifth year, the first ever for Auburn. The Tigers also had 30 wins that year. However, some of the past controversies involving Pearl’s recruiting tactics have showed up at Auburn as the team was ruled ineligible for postseason play last year. The violations stem from Pearl’s associate head coach Chuck Person’s involvement with recruits.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Auburn is +1200 to win the national championship. The Tigers are currently behind Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue, Kansas and Baylor in the oddsmakers’ eyes.