Chris Beard Was Never Interested In Texas A&M Job, Used Aggies As Leverage

It appears Chris Beard pulled one over on the Texas A&M Aggies.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard reacts toward an official during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It appears former Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard pulled a page out of the Lane Kiffin playbook at the expense of the Texas A&M Aggies.

According to reports from Texas Longhorns insider Brian Davis, Beard - who was considered the top candidate to replace Buzz Williams for the Aggies - never actually intended on leaving Oxford. Instead, he was simply using the Aggies as leverage for a bigger payday.

Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Beard reacts during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

"Texas A&M officials genuinely believed Chris Beard wanted their basketball job, especially when Beard initiated contact, through intermediaries, before the Aggies had a vacancy," Davis said on X. "Aggies were ready to make the bold hire, make him one of highest paid coaches in hoops. Beard, a native Texan, told A&M people about his passion for the state and his newfound desire to beat rival Texas."

"When the A&M job actually opened, Beard leveraged A&M’s interest for more money from Ole Miss. A&M officials understand the importance of the hire, sources told me. But on to the next candidate. Pressure building on AD Trev Alberts to get it right."

Of course, this is a tactic that seems to work in the favor of Ole Miss coaches quite often, with Kiffin seemingly getting an extension and a raise every offseason thanks to his agent, Jimmy Sexton, making sure he is a constant candidate in the coaching carousel every offseason for big-time programs.

For the Aggies, however, this obviously comes as a major disappointment.

Not only is this the third embarrassing development for the Aggies in the coaching realm in the last year (hello Mark Stoops and Jim Scholssnagle), but Beard's potential hiring at Texas A&M would certainly have put elite expectations on the program moving forward, something that wasn't present at first in the Williams era.

Instead, the future of the program is uncertain until Trev Alberts makes a decision.