In March 2023, the Rebels hired Chris Beard to replace Kermit Davis as the new men’s basketball head coach. In the world of sports, every coaching change is one that presents a large risk-versus-reward potential. Looking at the collegiate level specifically, some universities have changed their programs by hitting the jackpot on a new head coach.
A great example of this for college basketball would be Florida hiring Todd Golden to be the new Gator head coach in 2022. Since then, they have posted a 103-41 record, winning both the SEC Championship and National Championship in 2025.
After last season’s performance, it may be time to reconsider whether this hire was what Ole Miss Athletics, fans and community expected. Let us take a deeper dive into the specifics of the hire: the Kermit Davis Era.
After Andy Kennedy’s resignation in 2018, Ole Miss hired Kermit Davis as the men’s basketball coach. He had instant success in his first year, including a 20-13 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 8 seed, but in the following years, the Rebels were not very competitive.
Over the next four years, Davis’s teams posted a measly 54-68 record with a horrendous 22-47 record in SEC play. The Rebels did not make the NCAA Tournament and produced just one winning record across the four seasons.
Prior to taking over the job as the Rebels coach, Beard experienced great success across multiple universities. In his lone season as head coach at Little Rock, Beard led the Trojans to a school record 30-5 record, Sun Belt Conference Championship and a round of 32 appearance in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
From there, he was hired at Texas Tech, where he took the program to new heights. In his five seasons as head coach, the Red Raiders posted a 112-55 record, with an Elite Eight finish in 2018 and a National Championship appearance in 2019. Beard was named AP National Coach of the Year following the 2019 season.
Photo by Madison Twiddy
In 2021, he signed with the Texas Longhorns as their new head coach, leading them to a 22-12 record and a round of 32 appearance. The Longhorns were 7-1 before Beard was let go by the program due to legal controversies.
In 2023, Beard officially took over the reins as the Rebels’ head coach. Beard signed with the Rebels for $3.5 million initially, but his contract has been reworked after each season.
In his first season, the Rebels posted a 20-12 record, missing the NCAA Tournament, but his contract grew to $5 million per year. The following year, the Rebels improved to 24-12 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history, and Beard was named Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year.
Last season, the Rebels regressed massively, finishing 15-20 and second to last in the SEC with a whopping 4-14 conference record. The SEC preseason standing projects the Rebels to finish 13th out of 16 teams for the 2026-27 season.
Initially, it looked as if Beard was a great hire, but if history repeats itself, Beard’s production could look very similar to Davis’ with early success that sputters into disappointment for fans with great expectations.
Compared to Davis, Beard is being paid significantly more per year. Davis’ contract with the Rebels pre-NIL only earned him around $2.5 million per year.
Following the 2024-25 season, Beard signed a six-year extension until 2031 beginning at $6 million for the 2025-26 season, increasing by $100,000 annually. Additionally, this contract also provided him a $400,000 retention bonus in May 2026, a $2.5 million annual staff salary pool and supplemental compensation from the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation.
Beard is currently the eight-highest-paid coach in college basketball, earning more annually than Alabama head coach Nate Oats, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, Baylor head coach Scott Drew and Purdue head coach Matt Painter.
All the coaches previously named have led their schools to conference championships and Final Four appearances, with Drew winning a National Championship in 2021 and Painter and Sampson reaching the National Championship game with their respective teams.
Meanwhile, Beard has only reached the NCAA Tournament in one out of his three seasons with
Ole Miss, leading to questions of whether he has reached the value of his dollar.
The obvious answer is that the Beard Ball era has been underwhelming thus far. Hiring a coach that has ascended previous programs gives the expectation that the coach will repeat his history and do the same for your university.
Recruiting has been a struggle in the NIL era, leading to questions on whether the money needs to be reallocated or if the head of the snake struggles to acquire talent.
During Beard’s tenure as head coach, Ole Miss has signed five four-star high school recruits: Patton Pinkins (2025), Niko Bundalo (2025), John Bol (2024), Rashaud Marshall (2023) and Yohance Connor (2026). Pinkins is the only one out of that group to contribute significant minutes to the Rebels, with three others exiting to the transfer portal after one season. Connor has just begun his Ole Miss career.
Beard has failed to retain Mississippi’s best high school talent as well, with each of the state’s recent No. 1 prospects siding with Mississippi State: Josh Hubbard in 2023, EJ Paymon in 2024 and Jamarion Davis-Fleming in 2025.
Year four will be the one for Beard to prove his worth. Will the Rebels be a competent program going forward, or will they submerge back into mediocrity?
