Baylor Football Coach Dave Aranda On the 'Hottest of Hot Seats'
In this story:
Spring is in the air, and spring football will be starting before we even know it.
When the Baylor Bears take the field, it will be one of the biggest seasons they’ve had in recent memory, and they’ve acted accordingly this offseason. DJ Lagway was their big offseason pickup to replace Sawyer Robertson and control the offense.
Still, Baylor has had a tough couple of seasons on the gridiron. They’ve beaten rival TCU just once since the calendar turned to 2020. They finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game a season ago, while also finishing near the bottom of the Big 12 standings.
Add it all together, and Dave Aranda is listed by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg as one of the coaches on the “hottest of hot seats.”
“Baylor didn't get through 2025 without a major change, but it came at athletic director, as Mack Rhoades resigned after more than nine years in charge,” Rittenberg wrote.
“Aranda, who is 22-28 since leading Baylor to a Big 12 championship in 2021, might not have retained his job had Rhoades remained in charge of the athletic department. He now must win over new AD Doug McNamee and reestablish the Bears as a Big 12 contender. Baylor's defense has slipped the past two seasons, ranking 105th in points allowed (29.5) during the span. The team will try to extract consistency from quarterback transfer DJ Lagway and navigate a schedule that begins with Auburn in Atlanta.”
Obviously, the Big 12 championship is not something that can just be easily dismissed, but it’s getting further in the rear view mirror with each passing season.
The waters get even muddier when you consider the team finished with a losing record in 5-7. With the way college football is structured, and more bowl eligible teams than ever, it is difficult to miss a bowl game.
Not Meeting Expectations
Baylor found a way to do just that a year ago.
Aranda being on the hot seat is certainly justified. There are two major things in college football that do not change, no matter how much the sport changes over time.
Teams are expected to win, and if nothing else, they are expected to beat their rivals.
Coaches have been fired for having successful records, but bad records against their rival teams, for example.
Aranda, has done neither of those things in the last two years. He won a conference title in 2021, but has not sniffed a conference title game since then.
Furthermore, he’s beaten TCU just once since then. That includes a loss in 2021 to the Horned Frogs, which knocks some of the shine off of a conference championship.
They have not been in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
His 37-34 victory over TCU a season ago was the only victory he has over TCU since 2019.
New Man In Charge
Another point that Rittenberg made, which is worth monitoring, is the presence of a new Athletic Director.
Doug McNamee was appointed to replace Mack Rhoades in December. McNames is unlikely to have much patience for a coach he did not personally hire. If Baylor struggles again, Aranda will likely be on the unemployment line when the season ends, if not sooner.
Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.