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Missouri State football promotes Ryan Beard to head coach following Bobby Petrino's departure

wyatt d. wheeler, springfield news-leader
·3 min read

Missouri State football will hire from within and promote defensive coordinator Ryan Beard to head coach following the departure of head coach Bobby Petrino.

Beard will be introduced Monday at 11 a.m. in the PRIME Overtime Club at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Bears are scheduled to have official recruiting visits over the weekend in advance of Wednesday's signing day.

"I look forward to working with Ryan in this capacity and continuing our success under his guidance," MSU athletics director Kyle Moats said in a release. "He is a young, dynamic coach who understands the nuance of today's recruiting world. He has worked with some of the best coaches in college football during his coaching career, including the likes of Willie Taggert, Jeff Brohm, Jim McElwain and of course Bobby Petrino. He loves Springfield, and he wants to elevate our program to bigger and better things."

Beard had been the Bears' defensive coordinator since Petrino's arrival.

More:5 things to know about new Missouri State football head coach Ryan Beard

Beard, Petrino's son-in-law, has been one of the program's top recruiters and is the player favorite within the locker room. Multiple players and recruits voiced their support for Beard's promotion in recent days.

Beard gives the Bears their best chance at continuing to build onto the foundation that Petrino established during three seasons in which he led the Bears to an 18-15 record and their first two postseason appearances since 1990.

The defense was the quickest to turn around during the Bears' recent string of success. Beard took a defense that ranked among the worst in the FCS and turned it into the reason why Missouri State made its first postseason appearance and won a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the spring 2021 season.

Missouri State football defensive coordinator Ryan Beard speaks during media day at Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
Missouri State football defensive coordinator Ryan Beard speaks during media day at Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.

The defense took a step back in the 2022 season mainly because of some key injuries. Injured players along the defensive line and secondary mixed with an offense that couldn't stay on the field didn't equate to success during a 5-6 season.

But there is plenty of room for optimism heading into 2023 and beyond. Beard has been a key recruiter in bringing in the likes of Reeds Spring's Caden Wiest, Kickapoo's Andrew Link and other high-level prospects that Missouri State hadn't been able to land in the past.

"It was important to me to keep the continuity of this staff based on the team's recent success," Moats added. "The strides we have made in recruiting under Ryan's direction have been significant, and he understands what it takes to win in this league. Coach Beard enthusiastically wanted this job, and he believes in Missouri State."

More:What a few of Missouri State football's prized recruits said about new head coach Ryan Beard

As far as his resume, Beard came to Missouri State after spending the 2019 season at Central Michigan as the special teams and safeties coach under Jim McElwain. He joined the CMU staff in February 2019 and helped lead the Chippewas to an 8-6 record and a defense that intercepted 13 passes.

Missouri State Bears Defensive Coordinator Ryan Beard celebrates with the team after a touchdown as the Bears took on the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.
Missouri State Bears Defensive Coordinator Ryan Beard celebrates with the team after a touchdown as the Bears took on the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.

Beard also served as an assistant under Petrino during the 2017-18 seasons at Louisville. He started as a defensive backs coach and quality control before becoming the Cardinals' linebackers coach and co-special teams coordinator. He coached Green Bay Packers standout Jaire Alexander and former Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick James Sample.

He was also the defensive backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2016 where he helped the Hilltoppers win the Conference USA title and the Boca Raton Bowl.

Beard played defensive back at Western Kentucky from 2007-11 where he was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection.

More:Wheeler: Ryan Beard promotion to Missouri State head football coach allows deserved continuity

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ryan Beard hired as Missouri State head football coach