Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter appeared to confirm the news by posting a picture to social media of him and Beard with the caption, ‘why stop now?’ shortly after the reports surfaced.
Beard, who was most notably connected to the opening at Texas A&M left by Buzz Williams, appears to be sticking around at Ole Miss after leading it to its first ever Sweet 16 appearance this season. He has a 44-24 record in two seasons with the Rebels.
The 52-year-old coach has won at every spot in his Division I head coaching career, leading Arkansas-Little Rock to a first-round win in the 2016 NCAA Tournament before taking the job at Texas Tech, which he led to a national championship in 2019 before falling to Virginia. He has a 280-121 career record as a Division I head coach.
Controversy struck when Beard was hired by Texas in 2021, however, as he was arrested for alleged domestic violence against his then-fiancé. He was suspended for nearly a month in late 2022 before being fired midway through his second season in 2023. The charge was eventually dismissed as his fiancé didn’t wish to prosecute him.
Beard has taken quite the path to being a college head coach, starting his career as a graduate assistant at Texas from 1991-95 before serving as an assistant at Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian and North Texas, all schools in Texas.
He then coached at junior colleges Fort Scott and Seminole State before becoming an assistant at Texas Tech, a job he held from 2001-11. Before becoming a Division I head coach for the first time at Arkansas-Little Rock, he served as the head coach of the South Carolina Warriors, a semi-pro team, and as a Division III and Division II head coach at McMurry and Angelo State, respectively.
After two seasons at Little Rock, he was then hired by Texas Tech, where he spent 2016-21 before leaving for Texas, where he was fired midway through his second season in 2023. Beard took the Ole Miss job ahead of the 2023-24 season.
With Ole Miss committing more resources to its basketball program, Beard looks to keep the momentum rolling in Oxford.