Texas Longhorns Pick Chris Beard As Men's Basketball Coach

The free beer, pasta, and lawn mowings didn't work because Chis Beard is leaving Lubbock for Austin.

Beard will be new men's basketball coach at the University of Texas, ESPN reported. He will take over for Shaka Smart, who left the Longhorns to coach at Marquette.

Many thought it would be impossible to draw Beard away from Texas Tech University, where he was incredibly popular among Red Raiders fans. During his five years with Tech, Beard took the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight in 2018 and the national championship game in 2019. This year Texas Tech was knocked out of second around of the NCAA tournament with a loss to Arkansas.

The new coaching job also means Beard is returning home. He was a student assistant under Texas coach Tom Penders before he graduated from UT in 1995.

The details of Beard's new contract are unknown but he will likely make more than the $5 million a season he was making at Tech. Texas will owe Tech a $4 million buyout payment since Beard is leaving for another program in the state, USA Today reported.

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