Baylor head coach linked to Big 10 job
Baylor Bears Head Coach Dave Aranda could be on the move after this season. Earlier this week, UCLA Head Coach DeShaun Foster was fired after a 0-3 start. Immediately, names started being thrown out about who could replace Foster as the head coach of the Bruins, and one name that came up was Dave Aranda.
DeShaun Foster is out at UCLA. The Bruins want a candidate with head coaching experience.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) September 17, 2025
Dave Aranda, Jason Eck & Jedd Fisch have already been tied to it. What about Ed Orgeron, the former LSU coach with LA ties who wants back into coaching?
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Aranda, a native of Redlands, Calif., is from the West Coast and could entertain a move back to his home state. The UCLA Bruins may be in a bit of a slump right now, but they're one of the biggest college football brands in the nation, and a move to the Big 10 would be a step up from the Big 12.
On3's Pete Nakos reports that Aranda's buyout is in the $12 million range. It wouldn't be cheap for the Bruins to steal him from Baylor, but if they can round up the funds (which they likely could do), they could sway him to leave Waco.
Dave Aranda's Baylor Career
Aranda's tenure at Baylor has been a bit of a roller coaster. He went 2-7 in the abbreviated 2020 season, but completely turned things around in 2021 and went 12-2 with a Sugar Bowl victory. However, since then, things haven't been nearly as good. He's still searching for another 10+ win season, and ever since 2021, his defenses have not been great.
Aranda, who was hired because of what he did with LSU's defense during their national championship run in 2019, hasn't fielded a top-50 defense since 2021. Despite having one of the best offenses in the country in 2024, Baylor won just eight games because their defense finished 82nd in the country. This year, things aren't much different. Baylor's offense is humming and Sawyer Robertson is a Heisman hopeful, but their defense is giving up 41.5 points per game to Power Four opponents. If they keep this pace up, their hopes of winning the Big 12 and playing in the College Football Playoffs go out the window.
As long as Baylor doesn't have a huge collapse and can manage to win eight or so games this year, Aranda's job should be safe. However, depending on who would replace him, I don't know how upset Bears fans would be if Aranda were to leave for Los Angeles this offseason.
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Luke is a writer for the Baylor Bears On SI. He's an LSU graduate and previously covered the Tigers for two years. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and Formula 1. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to become a sports writer.