Texas high school football coach reassigned 3 years after winning state title

China Spring moves on from Tyler Beatty, who guided team to Class 4A Division II title in 2022

Stephenville's Tate Maruska is tackled by a China Spring defender in the fourth quarter. Stephenville beat the Cougars 31-21 in the District 5-4A Division I game. China Spring will have a new coach in 2026. / Joey D. Richards / USA TODAY NETWORK

Life comes at you fast in Texas high school football.

China Spring, located near Waco, will have a new football coach next year.

According to a social media post, the school has reassigned Tyler Beatty after the Cougars went 4-8 this year.

So, while the school district does not fire him, he will no longer be the head football coach. As of Dec. 7, his bio on the school’s boys head coaching page had been removed. 

In his first year at the helm, in 2022, he guided China Spring to a 15-1 record and won the Class 4A Division I championship. That was a repeat title for the Cougars, who won the title the year prior with Brian Bell. He stepped down to take a job at Baylor, but is now an assistant at the University of Houston.

China Springs went 8-3 in 2023, but has had back-to-back losing seasons. In 2024, they were 2-8 and failed to make the playoffs. This year, they were 4-8 and upset a Bellville team that was in the state finals last year.

La Marque beat China Spring, 34-27, in the area round.

China Spring was 2-3 in District 12-4A Division II play this year. At one point, they were 1-4 this year before a win against Lorena secured a playoff berth.

The schedule included losses against Class 5A Division II Bastrop, which went 11-2 and to Class 4A Division I playoff team Springtown, that was 12-1. 

All five of the non-district foes finished with winning records. 

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State title run

The 2022 team went 15-1 and the only loss was a setback against TAPPS champion Dallas Parish Episcopal, 24-16, which came in Week 5.

Wins came against a Melissa team which went 10-3 and made the quarterfinals in Class 5A Division II 

The Cougars beat Boerne, 24-21, in the championship game. 

The Cougars title team in Beatty’s first year was headlined by 6 all-staters. That group included quarterback Cash McCollum, who was a North Texas signee and now at Weber State; kicker Thomas Barr, at Hardin-Simmons; linebacker Tristan Exline at UT-Permian Basin and defensive lineman Jaylen Trotter at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

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Beatty’s background

A native of Pflugerville, he played football at Baylor and later Southeastern Louisiana. He was an all-district quarterback and had offers from Texas Tech, Purdue, Houston and UTEP coming out of high school. 

He redshirted his first year at Baylor, but played against Rice, No. 22 TCU and No. 20 Kansas in 2007. He was also the holder for the extra point and field goal unit. 

His coaching career featured stops at Mexica, Austin Anderson and Cypress Park. He was an outside linebacker coach prior to becoming the head coach. He was an offensive coordinator at Cypress Park and a passing-game coordinator at Austin Anderson.