Chris Beard Says Ole Miss Coaching Position Is 'One Of The Best Jobs In The Country'

Despite the Ole Miss Rebels going 44-48 the past three seasons, head coach Chris Beard named three reasons why he wanted to take the position.

The Ole Miss Rebels found their man in Chris Beard this offseason, but it's wasn't necessarily a one-way attraction.

Beard's pedigree is surely proven with winning and program success at each of his five head coaching stops. Beard said on the Field of 68's "Off the Carousel!" that he's excited about the opportunity to coach the Rebels.

"This is one of the best jobs in the country," Beard said in May. "It starts with the league. Obviously, the SEC is one of the premier leagues, so I'm excited about competing at this level. We're in an awesome college town... A special place. Hard to describe. It doesn't really compare to anywhere that I've been, and I've been at some great places, some great college towns but this one's very unique. Great people, not only in Oxford and at Ole Miss, but also in the state of Mississippi."

Beard said he's been getting to know the other Ole Miss head coaches, including Rebels football's Lane Kiffin. Beard said he's a "big college football fan" and looking forward to getting to know Kiffin better. 

Though Beard and Kiffin are still developing their relationship, that's not to say they haven't had similar success this offseason with their respective programs.

Like the football program, Beard has gone to work in the transfer portal, adding the No. 11 class, according to 247Sports. 

In addition to Matthew Murrell returning for next season, Ole Miss will welcome guards Brandon Murray, Austin Nunez and Jaylen Murray, centers Moussa Cisse and Jamarion Sharp and forward Allen Flanigan.

Ole Miss basketball is 44-48 in the past three seasons, but Beard said it is trying to replicate the success across the Rebels athletics department.

"A lot of momentum on our campus right now," Beard said. "I already talked about coach Kiffin and those guys, what they've got building. Obviously, baseball winning the national championship last year, women's basketball had an epic Sweet 16 run, so just a lot of success of campus right now and we're going to try to do our part."

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You can follow Casey Smith on Twitter at @casey_smith2419

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