If Texas keeps their stream of massive 5-star bigs coming, that would absolutely suit Beard's packline a lot better than it would've suited Havoc-- so I don't think he'd have to abandon his core defensive principles.

Outside of Nimari Burnett, Beard's really never had anything resembling a blue chip recruit, so it's hard to say how dealing with higher level recruits will play out... but Beard is, imo, a Top 10 coach in the country minimum and one hell of a hire. I'd take him at Duke in a fucking New York minute if I could.