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Chris Beard is staying at Ole Miss, and a report suggests that Texas A&M was surprised by the decision.
Beard took the Rebels to the Sweet 16 in 2024-25, his second season at Ole Miss. After Buzz Williams took the job at Maryland, Beard was mentioned as a candidate to be the next coach at Texas A&M.
Wednesday afternoon, news broke that Beard had decided to stay at Ole Miss. Keith Carter, Ole Miss’s athletic director, provided confirmation posting “Why stop now?” on X with a photo of him and Beard.
With Beard’s decision made and Texas A&M moving on, longtime Texas sports reporter Brian Davis offered some insight on what went on behind the scenes.
Davis reported, per sources, that Beard initiated contact with Texas A&M through intermediaries before the Aggie job was officially open. The report details that Beard played up the rivalry with Texas, his former employer.
Davis notes that Beard had previously downplayed his history with Texas due to his connection to former assistant Rodney Terry. Texas dismissed Terry as head coach after the Longhorns’ First Four exit in the NCAA Tournament. Sean Miller is the new head coach at Texas.
Per Davis, Beard successfully leveraged Texas A&M’s interest into a new deal at Ole Miss.
Sources: Texas A&M officials genuinely believed Chris Beard wanted their basketball job, especially when Beard initiated contact, through intermediaries, before the Aggies had a vacancy. Aggies were ready to make the bold hire, make him one of highest paid coaches in hoops.…
— Brian Davis (@byBDavis) April 3, 2025
With Beard staying at Ole Miss, A&M continues its search for a new head coach. The reported drama with Beard certainly adds some spice to the Rebels and Aggies facing off on the court in 2025-26.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
