Bruce Pearl was asked on Monday about how he’s handled job speculation and questions about his future. It came at a time when the Auburn men’s basketball coach has led his team to the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 while Bryan Harsin and the football program are in a state of turmoil.

Pearl began his answer by referencing The Godfather and the quote about it’s the profession we’ve chosen.

“And so we chose the profession because we wanted to teach and we wanted to be around young people and make a difference in their lives,” Pearl said. “People don’t actually choose coaching or teaching for many other reasons.”

Once that happens, you get a chance to do it at the higher levels, and then it becomes financially successful, he said.

Pearl recalled his career as a Division II assistant and mid-major coach, and how he didn’t have a big house and lived paycheck to paycheck.

“So we do this because we want to make a difference in young people’s lives,” Pearl said. “We want to give back, we love our campuses and our universities, but we also understand the pressures that go with the position.”