Bruce Pearl earns $3.98 million to be the head basketball coach at Auburn, receiving a raise and extension in April 2019 following the Tigers magical run to the program's first Final Four. Indeed that's a lot of money and certainly comes with significant benefits and perks.

Still, he's underpaid. Pearl is currently worth more to the university than anyone else, not just because he has Auburn at No. 1 in the AP Poll. No, besides possibly Charles Barkley, the coach is the most noteworthy marketer for the school, flashing up on televisions all over the country and making students want to come to the Plains to watch the Tigers from The Jungle.

The statistics are mind-blowing. For 5,000 or so spots in next year's freshman class, there have been more than 40,000 applications. The average GPA and test score are bewilderingly high and, for that, the quality of students continues to grow and grow.

It's easy to promote this basketball team with Jabari Smith being one of the top freshmen in the country, the Tigers rolling off 16 straight wins and being considered one of the favorites for the national title. If Pearl stuck to talking about his program, that would be fine. Most coaches do.

That's not his style, though. In the most significant moments and on the grandest stages, Pearl has taken the opportunity to remind everyone that this is an "Everything School," constantly talking about the other programs as if he was in charge of them. His flair for creating chaos when least expected, like showing up shirtless at Jordan-Hare Stadium, has endeared himself to even the casual of basketball fans.

Remember that moment? You don't think top recruits in the nation weren't sitting at home watching and thinking, "Wow, now that looks like a fun guy to play for?" Insanity at its finest.

And he doesn't stick to sports when discussing Auburn.

"We want to have the number one business school," Pearl said after Auburn beat Ole Miss on Jan. 15. "We want to have the number one engineering school. We want to have the number one football team and gymnastics team."

Who does this for an entire university other than Pearl?

It's why he's the most beloved man on campus. And he's brought the energy and dedication since he arrived. He has made Auburn into a basketball power and is helping make the university a better place every day. He's changed the program's expectations and turned it into the hottest ticket in college basketball. But, most importantly, he's embraced Auburn.

With Pearl, the program will continue to soar to heights never dreamed of.

So give him all of the money. Give him anything he wants. By making Auburn basketball and the entire university what it is today, he's earned it.