Ole Miss hires ex-Texas head coach Chris Beard

Ole Miss has hired Chris Beard as its next head coach, the school announced Monday.

The former Texas bench boss reportedly emerged as the Rebels' top candidate during their head coaching search.

"We are excited to welcome coach Beard and his daughters, Avery, Ella, and Margo, to the Ole Miss family," said vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics Keith Carter in a statement. "We thoroughly evaluated a number of outstanding candidates, and there is no doubt coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation.

"After conducting due diligence and speaking to a number of individuals on and off the court, it was evident he is the right person to guide our team to greatness."

Beard was fired by the Longhorns in January after being arrested on a domestic assault charge. A Texas prosecutor dismissed the case against Beard partly because the alleged victim didn't want to prosecute him.

The 50-year-old will be tasked with turning around an Ole Miss program that has made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight seasons. The Rebels haven't won a game in the Big Dance since 2013.

Beard began his head coaching career at Little Rock eight years ago. He guided the Trojans to a 30-win campaign and a Round of 32 appearance during his lone year at the helm.

Beard joined Texas Tech the following season and led the program to a national championship game within three years. He returned to his alma mater, Texas, in April 2021 to become the 25th head coach in Longhorns history.