Former Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard has emerged as a “top candidate” to fill the Ole Miss coaching vacancy, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello report Wednesday.
Beard and the SEC program have been in communication, per ESPN, and Ole Miss officials have reportedly begun doing their due diligence on the former Longhorns coach.
Beard was relieved of his duties by Texas in January after he was arrested December 12 and charged with third-degree felony assault on a family/household member, later revealed to be Beard’s fiancé, Randi Trew. ESPN reported at the time the arrest was made after Austin police responded to a “disturbance hotshot” call at Beard’s home shortly after midnight. Disturbance hotshot incidents are “incidents in progress that are an immediate threat to life and/or public safety.” Beard’s felony charge included “impeding breath circulation.”
Trew later stated there was no assault, and that Beard was just using “self-defense” in a “physical struggle” between the couple. Last month, Travis County district attorney Jose Garza dropped the charges against Beard.
“I am pleased with the announcement that the charges against me have been dismissed,” Beard said in a statement at the time. “While I always had faith and confidence in the truth and this outcome, it has been extremely challenging to wait patiently and not publicly respond. I’m sorry and deeply remorseful to my family, friends, all my players and staff both most recent and past, and everyone at my alma mater The University of Texas.”
Beard was in the early stages of his second year at Texas at the time of his dismissal. He joined the Longhorns family in 2021 after leading Big 12 arch rival Texas Tech to the national championship game in 2019, when the lost to Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers. Since the 2015–16 season, Beard has coached three different programs to the NCAA tournament.
The Ole Miss Rebels are on the search for a new coach after firing Kermit Davis last month. Davis left the program with a 74–79 record and a 32–55 mark in SEC play in five seasons at the helm and failed to reach the NCAA tournament after landing there in his inaugural season, an appearance in March Madness back in 2018-19.
“We thank Coach Davis for his dedication to the Ole Miss basketball program and our student-athletes,” Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said. “No one wanted to bring a title home to Mississippi more than him, and we appreciate the passion for that goal that he shared with our team every day. As he has throughout his career, Coach Davis worked tirelessly to produce a winner, and we wish him, Betty and his family the very best in the future.”
Win Case is currently serving as the interim coach of the Rebels, who finished the regular season 11–20 and 3–15 in conference play.
