Sources — Chris Beard to stay at Ole Miss after Texas A&M link

Chris Beard has informed Ole Miss that he is staying at the school, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, following discussions he had with Texas A&M over its head coach vacancy.

Beard is set to receive a raise, more resources for staff and a stronger NIL package, sources said.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter posted a photo of him and Beard on Wednesday afternoon.

Why stop now? 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/SD9tcr8Npd

— Keith Carter (@KeithCarterOM) April 2, 2025

Beard just finished his second season with the Rebels, leading them to a Sweet 16 appearance, where it lost to 2-seed Michigan State. In two years in Oxford, he’s 44-24.

He has strong ties to the state of Texas, going to the University of Texas as an undergrad and coaching at seven different colleges in the state. He led Texas Tech to the national championship game in 2019 and spent a season and a half at Texas before he was fired following an arrest on a felony domestic violence charge that was later dismissed.

Beard has taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament, winning at least one game in all six appearances in the competition.

Texas A&M is looking to replace Buzz Williams, who left Tuesday to take over at Maryland. Williams was in College Station for six seasons, leading the Aggies to each of the last three NCAA tournaments.