SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - After a record year in Springfield, Missouri State head football coach Ryan Beard announced he is leaving the school to become the next head coach at Coastal Carolina.

Beard thanked fans on Twitter around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Beard led Missouri State to a 7-5 mark in the Bears’ first season as an FBS school and the program’s first-ever bowl bid in the XBox Bowl next week.

Beard took over as head coach of the Bears for the 2023 season, leading them to a 4-7 mark and a strong finish. He followed that up in 2024 with an 8-4 record, a fourth-place finish in the Missouri Valley conference, and a No. 23 national ranking with 12 all-conference standouts and three All-Americans.

Missouri State takes on Arkansas State in its bowl game next week in Frisco, Texas. There

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