Only two FBS head coaching vacancies remain as of the evening of Thursday, Dec. 11 — Michigan and Washington State.
Coastal Carolina filled its opening Thursday by hiring Missouri State head coach Ryan
Beard. Beard facilitated the Bears’ transition from the FCS to the FBS and posted a 7-5 record in the program’s debut season, qualifying for the inaugural Xbox Bowl vs. Arkansas State. Beard also coached Missouri State in two years at the FCS level, finishing 4-8 in 2023 and 8-4 in 2024.
“We landed one of the nation’s best young coaches to be the head coach of our football team,” Coastal Carolina athletic director Chance Miller said in a statement. “Teal Nation will love Ryan Beard’s energy, work-ethic and passion, and he is the perfect leader for this program. His track record of elevating teams, maximizing talent, and developing student-athletes speaks for itself. Everywhere he has been — from Western Kentucky, Louisville, and Central Michigan to leading Missouri State through a successful FBS transition — Coach Beard has shown an exceptional ability to inspire, transform, and win. His trajectory in this profession is remarkable, and we believe his best years are still ahead of him. We are thrilled to welcome Coach Beard, his wife Katie, and their children Beau, Lainey, Jacob and Kailey to Coastal Carolina.”
Beard played defensive back at Western Kentucky from 2007-11 and launched his coaching career in 2013 as a graduate assistant for his alma mater. He rotated back-and-forth between WKU and Louisville assistant gigs early in his coaching career, regularly operating on staffs led by head coach Bobby Petrino — whose daughter Katie is married to Beard, and the two have four children together.
After serving a special teams coordinator role at Central Michigan in 2019, Beard followed Petrino to Missouri State in 2020, where he onboarded as defensive coordinator. When Petrino left Springfield, MO after the 2022 campaign, Beard stepped into the head coaching position at age 33.
Beard, now age 36, was the fifth-youngest FBS head coach for the 2025 season. Despite facing disadvantages leading a first-year FBS program, Beard produced a winning season and earned several notable victories, including one over reigning Sun Belt champion Marshall and another over of the CUSA’s better teams in FIU. All five of his losses were to teams with 7+ wins, dropping contests to USC, SMU, WKU, Kennesaw State, and Louisiana Tech.
The head coach moves from the CUSA to the Sun Belt to replace Tim Beck at Coastal Carolina. Beck generated a 20-18 record and attained bowl eligibility in all three seasons at the helm, but he did not live up to the lofty standards established under the reign of Jamey Chadwell, who went 31-6 from 2020-22. He was fired after finishing the 2025 regular season at an even 6-6.
Coastal Carolina is slated to play Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson will serve in an interim head coach capacity for that game as the Chanticleers eye their third-ever bowl win and a winning season.
Missouri State’s postseason matchup transpires one week after Beard’s departure. The Bears make their bowl debut on Thursday, Dec. 18 against Arkansas State in the newly-created Xbox Bowl. It has not been determined yet if Beard will coach this game, or if an interim will be named on short notice.
