Chris Beard will remain at Ole Miss despite recent links to the Texas A&M job, sources told ESPN.

Chris Beard has told Ole Miss he’s staying on as head coach, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, after holding discussions with Texas A&M about its vacant head coaching job.

According to sources, Beard will receive a pay raise, additional staff resources, and an upgraded NIL package as part of his decision to remain in Oxford.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter confirmed Beard’s return by posting a photo with him on Wednesday afternoon. Beard recently completed his second season with the Rebels, guiding them to the Sweet 16, where they fell to No. 2 seed Michigan State. He holds a 44–24 record over two seasons at Ole Miss.

Beard has deep Texas roots—he’s an alum of the University of Texas and has coached at seven colleges across the state. He led Texas Tech to the national title game in 2019 and had a brief stint at Texas before being dismissed following a domestic violence arrest, a charge that was later dropped. Across his career, he’s taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament, winning at least one game in all six appearances.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, is seeking a replacement for Buzz Williams, who departed Tuesday to take the head coaching job at Maryland after six seasons with the Aggies and three straight NCAA tournament appearances.