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Texas replacing Shaka Smart with Chris Beard as next men's basketball coach, reports say

Chris Beard was the trending name to come to Texas once it was announced Shaka Smart was headed to Marquette.

AUSTIN, Texas — Chris Beard is set to be the next head coach of the University of Texas men's basketball team, according to multiple reports. 

The Stadium reporter Jeff Goodman broke the news Wednesday morning. KVUE's partners at the Austin American-Statesman confirmed the hiring. KVUE has reached out to UT officials, but has not heard back yet.

Beard will reportedly leave his head coaching position at Texas Tech University to lead the Longhorns program after Shaka Smart took the Marquette Golden Eagles job. 

RELATED: Shaka Smart out as Texas basketball head coach

Once Smart's departure was announced, Beard's name instantly became a topic of conversation as the next man up for UT. Beard received his undergraduate degree in kinesiology from the University of Texas in 1995, where he worked as a student assistant for Tom Penders. Ironically, he got his master’s degree in education from the school that bounced Smart's Longhorns team in the first round of the NCAA tournament: Abilene Christian.

Beard will take over a Longhorns team that won its first Big 12 conference championship in school history. The 2021 UT men's basketball team went 19-8 overall. 

WATCH: Texas Longhorns kick off spring football

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