UPDATE:
At midnight Saturday, a visibly emotional Pearl was greeted by a large crowd of Auburn fans at the door of Auburn Arena as he headed into his office.
"We're going to have a lot of fun," Pearl said. "I'm sorry about being emotional, but you know, that's what I've always done my whole life is coach and teach, and I think that's what God wants me to do."
Pearl, emotional as he was, still managed to take several jabs at himself and the situation.
"Thanks for understanding," Pearl said. "The NCAA Rules, since I follow them so closely, I know them so well."
Pearl added that he is honored and blessed to be Auburn's coach and later tweeted "to the Auburn Family, I thank you."
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As of 12:01 Sunday morning, Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be officially be back.
At that moment, the moment Pearl's show-cause is officially lifted; he will speak with a recruit for the first time in three years.
Pearl has been restricted from recruiting activities since 2011, due to the show-cause penalty that was bestowed upon him during his last season as head coach as the University of Tennessee.
According to CBSSports, Pearl will host a recruit in his office the at 12:01 Sunday, wasting no time getting back on the recruiting trail and beginning the quest to rebuild the Auburn Basketball Program.
That recruit's name is Horace Spencer, who is ranked as the 57th best basketball player in the nation according to 247Sports.
Even though Pearl has been allowed to have absolutely zero contact with recruits since his hiring, that doesn't mean the rebuilding and rebranding process hasn't already begun.
On Friday, Auburn received a commitment from Danjel Purifoy, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound, four -star guard who chose the Tigers over Maryland and Alabama.
Purifoy, who is ranked as the No.56 overall player according to 247Sports, averaged 17.7 points per game last season for Bibb County.
Purifoy's commitment adds to an already strong class, which includes Cinmeon Bowers, the nation's top junior college player, and college basketball's top returning scorer Antoine Mason.
For Pearl, 12:01 Sunday means not only the opportunity to begin recruiting top talent again, but the chance to begin to prove that he is capable of taking a battered program , and bringing it back to relevance.
This story will updated with quotes from coach Pearl following his media availability at 4:00 p.m. Sunday.
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