University of Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal announced the hiring of Hurricanes alum Kevin Beard to the position of wide receivers coach.

Beard returns to his alma mater after five seasons at Toledo University, including the last four as the program’s wide receivers coach. He previously served on the Rockets’ coaching staff as the director of player personnel and assistant recruiting coordinator in 2018.

Beard, who graduated from Miami in 2003 after a standout career as a Hurricanes wide receiver, previously worked at Miami in 2014 and 2015. Beard spent the 2014 campaign as the program’s assistant director of football operations and the 2015 season as Miami’s wide receivers coach / passing game coordinator.

In 2022, Beard coached a receivers group led by second-team All-MAC selection Jerjuan Newton. The sophomore caught 53 passes for 830 yards and nine touchdowns. In addition, junior Devin Maddox made 39 catches for 548 yards and three touchdowns while sophomore DeMeer Blankumsee caught 41 passes for 512 yards and three scores.

Beard was ranked as the No. 5 recruiter in the Mid-American Conference for the Class of 2022 by 247 Sports.

In 2021, Beard led a receivers room that featured Maddox (41 receptions) and junior Isaiah Winstead (38 receptions). The receiving corps was deep, as seven Rocket wide receivers caught at least 13 passes.

In 2020, Beard coached a receivers unit that featured six receivers who caught at least 12 passes. Leading the way was Winstead, who hauled in 25 receptions and earned third-team All-MAC honors.

In 2019, Beard coached Bryce Mitchell to an All-MAC season in which he caught 35 passes for 679 yards and four touchdowns. In addition to Mitchell, senior Desmond Phillips and junior Danzel McKinley-Lewis both caught at least 35 passes and averaged over 10 yards per reception.

Prior to coming to Toledo, Beard was the wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee in 2017. He began his coaching career in the high school ranks, working with wide receivers as an assistant from 2010-13 at University High School in Davie, Fla. He returned to his alma mater in 2014, where he accepted a position as the assistant director of football operations. A year later, he was named the Hurricanes’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. In 2016, Beard was hired by Georgia as the quality control coach for wide receivers.

Beard was a wide receiver at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 1999-2003, playing a key role on the Hurricanes’ 2001 national championship team. He caught 25 passes for 409 yards in 2001, including four receptions for 41 yards in Miami’s win over Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl. Beard totaled over 900 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his career, and served as a captain on the 2003 Miami team that went 11-2 and won the 2004 Orange Bowl. Beard enjoyed a four-year professional career in the Arena Football League before embarking on a career in coaching.

Beard graduated from Miami in 2003 with a degree in liberal arts and a minor in sociology. He and his wife Nordea have three children, Kevin Jr., Justin and Moriah.