Coastal Carolina football selects new head coach after Tim Beck’s firing. Who is it
The Coastal Carolina University football team has selected a new coach just weeks after announcing the firing of Tim Beck.
Ryan Beard, head coach at Missouri State, was named Thursday as the new head coach for the Chanticleers, according to an email from CCU’s athletic department.
Beard becomes the fifth head coach in program history. During his tenure at Missouri State University, he led the Bears through one of the most impressive multi-year climbs in recent history, highlighted by a winning record at the FBS level in 2025.
“We landed one of the nation’s best young coaches to be the head coach of our football team,” Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Chance Miller announced Thursday. “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 was introduced as Missouri State’s head coach on Dec. 19, 2022, when he was just 33 years old, making him the youngest head coach in program history and the 22nd to lead the Bears. His promotion followed three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator under Bobby Petrino.
“It’s an incredible honor to be named the head football coach at Coastal Carolina University,” Beard said in a press release. “This program has built a national reputation for competitiveness, toughness, and doing things the right way. My family and I are excited to join the Coastal community, and I’m eager to get to work with our student-athletes, staff, and supporters as we build on the strong foundation already in place.
The athletics department announced Nov. 30 that they had decided to remove former head coach Tim Beck. Coastal Carolina Athletics Director Chance Miller shared that Beck was relieved of his duties effective immediately, and a national search was underway to find his replacement, according to an email from the athletics department. Now, the search is over.
Defensive Coordinator Jeremiah Johnson has served as interim coach while the search was conducted.
Beck led the team for three years, taking over as leader before their 2023 season. The news of his firing came after the Chanticleers concluded their 2025 season with back-to-back losses, first falling 51-7 to South Carolina and then 59-10 to James Madison.
The athletics department declined to comment further at the time of the announcement on whether the team’s record factored into the decision to terminate Beck.
Beck released a statement following the announcement saying, “It is tough to leave a place you have called home for the past three years. ... The past three years have been a blessing and a chapter in our lives we will never forget - it has truly been an honor to be a Chant. ... I wish the University and the Football Program nothing but the best moving forward.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM.
