Ole Miss coach Chris Beard agrees to new contract ahead of SEC tournament

He’s not even through his first full season with the program, but Ole Miss seems very happy with head coach Chris Beard.

Ole Miss announced Wednesday that Beard had agreed to a new contract. Beard, who was hired last March, initially received a four-year deal with the Rebels. He was slated to make $3.35 million next season, per The Associated Press. Terms of his new contract are not known, though Mississippi state law limits contracts to a maximum of four years.

“We are just getting started,” Beard said in a statement. “Great times ahead in the SJB Pavilion and Oxford.”

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Beard was fired from Texas last January after he was charged with felony domestic violence after an alleged dispute with his fiancée at their home in Austin. The charges were dropped about a month later, however, after the Travis County District Attorney said they couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Beard’s fiancée also said in a statement that he had acted in self-defense in the incident, and that she had initiated the confrontation.

Texas promoted Rodney Terry to replace Beard on an interim basis last season, and he was then named the head coach ahead of this season. Beard was then hired by Ole Miss in March to replace Kermit Davis. The Rebels held just a 10-18 record and were only 2-13 in the SEC when they fired Davis last season.

Beard immediately turned the program around this season. He led the Rebels to 13 straight wins to open the year. While they’ve not beaten a ranked opponent, the Rebels ended the season with a 20-11 record — which marked their best finish in the last five years. They’ll take on Texas A&M in their first game at the SEC tournament Thursday night. While it will likely take a big run in Nashville to secure their first NCAA tournament berth since 2019, Beard appears to at least have the program back on track.