The Arkansas basketball program is searching for a new head coach after Eric Musselman left for the USC Trojans job. Ole Miss coach Chris Beard saw his name circulate right after Musselman went to USC, but the Rebels coach has decided to stay in Oxford and remain with the program, per Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.
‘BREAKING: Ole Miss coach Chris Beard is staying in Oxford despite heavy interest from Arkansas, source told @TheFieldOf68.'
Beard was at Arkansas-Little Rock, Texas, and Texas Tech before coming to Ole Miss, and his Longhorns days were full of plenty of controversy after he was arrested. But, once his charges were dropped, Ole Miss swooped in and hired him as the new head coach for the program.
Now, despite heavy interest from Arkansas, Beard is staying with Ole Miss as they try and make the NCAA Tournament next season. The Rebels haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2019 and just three times in the last 20 years, so they are hoping Beard can be the guy to turn the program around in Oxford.
Chris Beard stays at Ole Miss after strong Year One
Beard's time with the Longhorns was full of controversy after he was arrested and then fired. But, he did well in his first year at Ole Miss in 2023-2024. The Rebels won the first 13 games of the season before SEC play threw a wrench in their plans.
Ole Miss lost 11 games in SEC play, finishing with a 7-11 record and 10th in the conference. Ole Miss lost eight of the final 10 regular season games in a brutal stretch before falling to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
The Rebels went 12-21 in the last year of Kermit Davis before Berd was hired, so winning 20-plus games is a huge step in the right direction for the program. With Beard staying, this is a big boost as another coaching search would've been a major blow.
Where does Arkansas turn to now?
Beard was arguably the top candidate for the Arkansas job once Musselman left. Andy Enfield going to SMU had the Trojans' job as a high-profile opening. But, Beard decided to stay at Ole Miss after a wild coaching carousel.
Will Wade from McNeese and Jerome Tang from Kansas State were other options mentioned for the job, and both have good resumes that would be major pickups for Arkansas. Another option could be South Florida's Amir Abdur-Rahim, who nearly had his team making the NCAA Tournament. For now, Tang appears to be the leading candidate, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
‘As @GoodmanHoops first reported, with Chris Beard no longer being a candidate at Arkansas, K-State’s Jerome Tang is getting a serious look. Other candidates could emerge, but Tang is in the lead as of today. Word is Arkansas is trying to run as swift a search as possible'
However, none of them have a profile as good as Beard, who worked wonders at Texas Tech with a national title game appearance and then had Texas buzzing before the unfortunate events took place.
The coaching carousel in college basketball keeps on churning with this latest news, but the Razorbacks will have to pivot elsewhere.
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