Chris Beard reportedly a top candidate for head-coaching job

Chris Beard was fired for cause by the Texas Longhorns in early January, just weeks after he was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for family violence.

The domestic violence case against Beard was eventually dismissed in February with the prosecutor saying that a "felony offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." As such, Beard's prospects as a college basketball coach were given a second chance, and it seems as if Ole Miss is the school willing to give him that chance.

Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello of ESPN are reporting that Beard is the top candidate to replace Kermit Davis at Ole Miss. Davis was fired in late February after going 74-79 over five seasons. He had failed to lead the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament since his first season in 2018-19.

"That arrest, subsequent denial and the dropped charges have left Ole Miss officials to carefully do their due diligence on Beard," the ESPN report read.

Beard was arrested on Dec. 12 after his fiancée, Randi Trew, called 911 and alleged that the basketball coach had choked her, bit her and hit her during an argument. A few weeks later, through her attorney, Trew said that Beard didn't strangle her and that he was acting in self-defense during the altercation,.

“As Chris’ fiancée and biggest supporter, I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event. I realize that my frustration, when breaking his glasses, initiated a physical struggle between Chris and myself," she said via a statement. "Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening. Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that. I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted. We appreciate everyone’s support and prayers during this difficult time,”

This incident aside, Beard is considered one of the top coaches in college basketball. He went 112-55 in five seasons at Texas Tech, taking the Red Raiders to NCAA Tournament four times, including a national title game appearance in 2018-19. In his first season at Texas, he went 22-12 and got the Longhorns to the big dance.

Beard burst onto the scene in 2015-16 when he put up a 30-5 season with Little Rock and took the Trojans to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.