Former Kansas head coach David Beaty is now the head coach at Denton (Texas) High School, the school announced Tuesday.
The Denton job represents a return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for Beaty, a Garland, Texas, native who was the head coach at North Dallas and Irving MacArthur before jumping into the college ranks as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Rice in 2006.
Beaty was chosen by prior winners as the FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year at Texas A&M in 2012, and spent 2015-18 as the head coach at Kansas. His ouster took multiple years to untangle after former KU AD Jeff Long attempted to manufacture an NCAA investigation in order to get out of paying his $3 million buyout. Beaty and the school eventually reached a $2.55 million settlement.
Beaty did not land a full-time college coaching position until 2023, as Florida Atlantic's wide receivers coach under former Rice colleague Tom Herman. Herman was let go by FAU during the 2024 season.
“Coach Beaty is an incredible coach with a long history of success in both high school and college,” Denton ISD athletic director Joey Florence said. “His ability to connect with students and families will be an incredible asset. We are very excited to have him lead the athletic program at Denton High School.”
Beaty will have his work cut out for him at Denton. Neighbors Denton Ryan and Denton Guyer each ranked among the top among the top 2.6 percent of the state's 1,214 football-playing public high schools according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football's rolling 6-year formula, while Denton ranked 1,107th. Denton Ryan is 69-12 with one state championship and two state finals appearances and Denton Guyer is 70-16 with two state finals, while Denton is 14-47.
“My family and I are honored to be at Denton High School,” Beaty said. “This is an unbelievable school district. I am blown away by the quality of people here, and it is the people in an organization that make a place special. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and get going.”
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