Former Texas Tech basketball coach Chris Beard is part of a new NCAA infractions case involving Ole Miss, but the NCAA says it will not impose individual penalties on him. The October 23 ruling stems from impermissible recruiting communications by a former assistant coach and a player's advisor before the player entered the transfer portal.
According to the NCAA's official announcement, former Ole Miss assistant Wes Flanigan made 16 calls and sent 10 text messages to the player's advisor. The player later entered the portal but did not visit Ole Miss, receive a scholarship offer or transfer to the school.
Beard was considered responsible under the NCAA's head-coach responsibility rules. However, the NCAA said he was not personally involved, did not know about the contacts and had promoted compliance. As a result, he received no individual penalties.
Penalties for Ole Miss
Under the negotiated resolution, Ole Miss received two years of probation and a $455,000 fine, along with recruiting restrictions, some of which have already been served. Flanigan received a one-year show-cause order and a two-game suspension, with the suspension served in December 2025.
The NCAA also found that the university failed to monitor compliance with a previous order to disassociate a booster. The booster made 18 contributions totaling $109,240 during the restricted period and received premium seating, according to the NCAA.
Beard's Texas Tech years
Beard's name remains familiar to Red Raider fans. He coached Texas Tech from 2016 to 2021, leading the program to its first Elite Eight in 2018 and first Final Four and national championship game in 2019. Tech finished as national runner-up after losing to Virginia in overtime. Beard was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year in 2019 and left Tech in 2021 to become head coach at Texas.
Beard previously spent time in Lubbock as an assistant coach under Bob and Pat Knight before returning as head coach. Those years helped shape one of the most successful stretches in Texas Tech men's basketball history.
