The coaching carousel officially started on Friday when the Ole Miss Rebels and head coach Kermit Davis “mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately” after less than five season in Oxford. The Rebels last made the NCAA Tournament in the first season under Davis and were 2-13 in SEC play at the time of his termination.
Predictably, former Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Beard’s name quickly surfaced in connection with the opening as part of what was termed an extensive vetting process of Beard, who was arrested for felony domestic violence in December and fired with cause in January before the charge was dropped by the Travis County DA in February.