Baylor has fired coach Dave Aranda after seven seasons, the program announced on Sunday. Aranda finished his tenure with a 40-40 record and 26-32 mark in Big 12 play, struggling to get the Bears back to contention in the NIL era. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim coach.
Aranda, a national championship-winning defensive coordinator at LSU, came to Waco with fanfare and quickly led the Bears to the best season in program history. Baylor captured the 2021 Big 12 title and a Sugar Bowl victory to record the first AP Top 5 finish in program history.
However, Aranda failed to capitalize on the success, finishing with a losing record the next season and falling to 3-9 two years later. Over six full seasons with the program, Baylor finished with four losing records and never recorded consecutive winning seasons.
"Anyone who knows Dave Aranda understands what a genuine and honorable person he is and how much he deeply cares for his players, staff and this university," Baylor athletic director Doug McNamee said in a statement. "He is a gifted coach and brilliant football mind whose leadership brought some of our best Baylor football memories. While this is a difficult moment, we believe a change in leadership is necessary at this time for our program. We will forever be thankful to Dave and his family for their time here at Baylor, and we wish them well."
In addition to a slow rollout of the player compensation era costing Baylor recruits, Aranda struggled to identify and retain staff. Over his tenure, he had six coordinators and took over defensive playcalling himself at one point.
After showing some early promise with first-year quarterback DJ Lagway, Baylor lost a stunning 17-6 decision against rival TCU at home on Oct. 17. One week later, the Bears lost a 14-game winning streak against Kansas following a blocked field goal near the end of regulation in a 25-24 loss.
Now, the first-year athletic director McNamee will have to make his first big hiring decision. After coming out of the private sector, there are many directions he could turn.
