Don’t Start The Bruce Pearl Talk

With rumors running rampant of Vols basketball coach Donnie Tyndall’s impending doom from the NCAA, the Bruce Pearl talk is once again heavy among Vol fans on social media.

While we have absolutely no idea what will happen to Tyndall, if anything even does, we are certain of one thing — Bruce Pearl leaving Auburn for Tennessee (in the event that Tyndall is dismissed from UT) is absolutely not going to happen.

I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to convince Pearl to come back to Rocky Top. There’s no doubt that Knoxville is the place where Pearl’s heart desires to be. But it’s just not going to happen.

And not just because of all the past NCAA stuff, but because of one simple thing — cash money.

First off, the Vols would of course have to pay Pearl a bit more than he’s earning at Auburn (currently $2.275 million in his second season, plus bonuses), since the Tigers hired Pearl while he was still under his show-cause penalty.

That in itself is not a big deal, but the buyout, on the other hand, is a mighty large obstacle.

If Pearl leaves Auburn before April 15, 2016, he (or essentially the school hiring him) would owe the Tigers $5 million. That number decreases each year thereafter by a million until dropping to $250,000 in 2020.

There’s absolutely no way that Dave Hart is spending that kind of cash. Tyndall is currently earning just north of a million per season. If you think Hart is going to raise that by essentially two million a year (including Pearl’s buyout), then you’re absolutely crazy.

Even if the Vols have to fire Tyndall because of NCAA violations and don’t have to pay Tyndall’s $3 million buyout, it’s still incredibly unlikely that Hart would even look in Pearl’s direction.

Don’t go down the Pearl road, Vol fans. It only conjures up old memories and ends in heartbreak.