National CFB analyst places Baylor’s Dave Aranda on the hot seat
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A .500 record (4-4) and languishing on a two-game losing streak. That is the current record of the Baylor Bears under head coach Dave Aranda. Not exactly setting the college football world on fire.
But what is on fire, according to one college football analyst, is Aranda’s coaching seat. According to a story by Nick Kosko of On3, Greg McElroy has placed Aranda among a group of coaches who are firmly on the hot seat and could receive their pink slips in the coming weeks.
Aranda was hired as head coach at Baylor after his tenure as defensive coordinator at LSU in the Tigers’ 2019 national championship season.
In year two (2021) with the Bears, Aranda led Baylor to a Big 12 Conference title with a 12-2 record, including four wins over ranked opponents:
- #19 BYU
- #10 Oklahoma
- #7 Oklahoma State (Big 12 Championship Game)
- #11 Ole Miss (Sugar Bowl)
𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝟏𝟐 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.#SicEm | #BUncommon pic.twitter.com/5vIvD0vgKQ
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) December 8, 2021
Since that time, Aranda has led Baylor to 21 wins in 46 games and is winless in two bowl appearances. Fans are not happy and are clamoring for a change in leadership within the football program.
With that in mind, here are a couple of names with Texas ties that could be considered as competent and talented coaching replacements should Baylor decide to pull that trigger.
Eric Morris-North Texas
Morris has the Mean Green at 7-1 this season. Under Morris, the North Texas offense is ranked in the top ten: No. 5 in total offense, No. 6 in passing offense and No. 1 in scoring offense.
In addition, he coached under the late great Mike Leach at Washington State and also Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech. As the offensive coordinator with the Red Raiders, he coached future Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a 4,600+yard season and the No. 2 offense in the FBS in 2015.
In addition, as a head coach at FCS-level Incarnate Word, he coached future NFL No. 1 draft pick Cam Ward and a prolific offense at IW. As a result, Morris was a two-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year.
Jeff Traylor-UTSA
Traylor has been at UTSA since 2019 and has won two Conference USA championships during his tenure and has posted a 49-23 coaching record with the Roadrunners. He is a two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year. In addition, Traylor coached in the talented recruiting hotbed of Texas high school football. Traylor posted a 175-26 record and was a four-time Texas 4A Coach of the Year.
At the high school level, Traylor coached future NFL quarterbacks Josh, Luke and Randy McCown.
Also, Traylor has stickers on his suitcases from other collegiate-level coaching stops at Texas, SMU and Arkansas.
Yes, Aranda very well could be the next coach wearing a fire-retardant suit as he collects his pink slip…and a buyout.
More From Baylor On SI:
- Following Morris commitment, Baylor jumps into the top 25 recruiting class rankings
- What Baylor HC Dave Aranda said on Monday, including why O-line coach Mason Miller isn't with the program anymore
- Baylor football makes staff change amidst 4-4 season
- Baylor football lands familiar 4-star prospect on Sunday night and bolsters '26 class
- Tide officially turning on Dave Aranda's tenure at Baylor
Tony comes to On SI with six years of experience writing about sports online. His work has been published on such sites as The Gridiron News, Mike Farrell Sports, YardBarker, Athlon Sports and College Football Backers. Tony is a U.S. Air Force veteran and is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
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