Ole Miss Name Former Texas Coach Chris Beard As New Coach

The coach was arrested in December and subsequently fired by the Longhorns in January.

Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or at https://www.thehotline.org/

Ole Miss officially named former Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard as their new men’s basketball head coach on Monday.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported Monday.

Last week, Thamel and Borzello reported Beard was a “top candidate” for the Ole Miss role, in which he would replace Kermit Davis, who was fired last month by the school.

Chris Beard Named Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Ole Miss#HottyToddy | https://t.co/qvOODULsdN pic.twitter.com/MxMF17PIcS

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 13, 2023

This all comes after Beard was fired from Texas during his second season with the program in January following his arrest on Dec. 12. The coach was charged with third-degree felony assault on a family/household member. The alleged family member was Beard’s fiancée, Randi Trew. She later said there was no assault and that Beard was using “self-defense” in a “physical struggle” between the couple.

The charge was dropped on Feb. 15 by the Travis County district attorney.

Texas (26-8) finished the regular season with a Big 12 tournament title under interim coach Rodney Terry, taking down No. 1 seed Kansas, 76–56. The win helped Texas earn a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region for the men’s NCAA tournament, which tips off on Thursday. 

Ole Miss, on the other hand, went 12–21 this season and did not earn a postseason tournament berth.