Report: Chris Beard emerges as a leading candidate to replace Eric Musselman at Arkansas

Arkansas lost Eric Musselman to USC on Thursday, leaving a top job in the SEC open. The search may not last too long though, as candidates are beginning to take shape. One is reportedly already inside of the SEC too.

According to Jeff Goodman, Chris Beard has emerged as a “leading candidate” for the Arkansas job. Beard just wrapped up his first season with the Ole Miss Rebels, his first year inside of the SEC.

“Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the Arkansas opening, source told @thefieldof68,” Goodman said via X.

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Despite not having a ton of experience in the conference, the Razorbacks do put Beard back in a more familiar territory.

Beard would be closer to the state of Texas, not only his home state but also where his last two coaching jobs were. The Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders are not too distant from having Beard running their respective programs. Neither stint ended on a positive note.

Experience inside the state of Arkansas is there too. For just one season, Beard was at Little Rock. He not only made the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier but also won a game.

Beard sports a 256–109 career record as a head coach, spanning over three different divisions.

Chris Beard coming off first season at Ole Miss

Ole Miss gambled by hiring Beard after he was fired at Texas. Early returns were great though, bringing excitement to the program after an undefeated start through nonconference play. Making the NCAA Tournament seemed like a real possibility for the Rebels.

However, a tough end meant they would win 20 games but be on the outside looking in. Ole Miss lost six out of its last seven games, including in the SEC Tournament to Texas A&M. Not the end result Beard wanted but overall, a solid first year.

Now, he’s being linked with the Arkansas job and is considered a leading candidate. Taking over for Musselman would be no easy task, especially after he made two Elite Eights and a Sweet Sixteen over five years.

The deal is far from final but if everything does come to fruition, it would be a big loss for Ole Miss.