[3] He began playing college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in 2007 as a defensive back and was an all-freshman selection.
[4] He was twice named All-Sun Belt Conference in his time with the Hilltoppers and was also an all-academic selection, additionally being given the school's "Iron Man Award" as a senior after posting 51 stops.
[3] He served as the defensive quality control coach for the Louisville Cardinals in 2014,[3] and after one season in that position, became an assistant at Northern Michigan, working with the cornerbacks.
[8][9] Beard was to serve as Northern Michigan secondary coach in 2016, but left for Western Kentucky in July of that year.
[11] In his first season in the position, he helped them set the school record for single-season sacks and reach the playoffs for the first time in 30 years.