Former Kansas coach David Beaty returns to college football, joins Tom Herman at FAU

Former Kansas football coach David Beaty appears to have found a new home.

Beaty will return to the college football ranks to join Tom Herman’s Florida Atlantic staff, according to FootballScoop. Beaty last coached in college football in 2018, when he was the head coach of the Jayhawks.

KU hired Beaty before the 2015 season after his three-year stint as Texas A&M’s wide receivers coach. In his time with the Aggies, Beaty was known for his recruiting skills, aided by his connections to Texas high school football coaches.

During Beaty’s KU tenure (2015-18), he posted a 6-42 record. After a 27-3 home loss to Iowa State in 2018, KU announced that Beaty would not be returning as coach, but that he could coach out the rest of the season.

Beaty planned, at one point, to link up with Tom Herman at Texas after his KU departure. That detail emerged during a legal battle between Beaty and Kansas; Beaty sued Kansas’ athletic department in 2019, alleging it sought to concoct a reason to fire him for cause to avoid his $3 million buyout.

Beaty later testified he was offered a job with the Texas Longhorns as an analyst, but that the offer was pulled after Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte received a warning from former KU athletic director Jeff Long regarding pending allegations of NCAA violations against Beaty.

The allegation against Beaty was later withdrawn. Beaty received $2.55 million from KU as part of his termination.

More recently, Beaty was co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers in 2022. He coached under Kevin Sumlin with the Gamblers.

Beaty also previously coached with Herman back in 2007, when the two were at Rice.