Ranking The Five Starting Quarterbacks of the Dave Aranda Era at Baylor
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Dave Aranda came into the Baylor job in 2020 after Matt Rhule left for the Carolina Panthers. Aranda's overall record in his six seasons is a weak 36-37, and he has had five quarterbacks start games over those six seasons at the helm. Today, we will rank the five starting quarterbacks of the Aranda tenure based on their skills and the success they achieved at Baylor.
5. Dequan Finn
Dequan Finn was an easy last-place choice for this list. Dequan started only two games for Baylor before getting injured and losing his job to Sawyer Robertson for the last ten games of Baylor's 2024 campaign. Dequan Finn was seen as a great get for Baylor in the 2024 offseason, as he had been one of the best players in the Group of Five in 2023. Finn's first start for Baylor was electric; the Bears handled Tarleton State 45-3, and Finn looked good. His second start from Baylor, though, was quite the opposite, with Baylor losing 23-12 at Utah.
Dequan Finn was the first-ever "big money" NIL acquisition for Baylor, with some reporting he was paid around $750,000 to be the Bears' quarterback in 2024. Obviously, Dequan Finn was not worth the cash that was splashed on him, and he transferred from Baylor back down to the MAC, where he had a rough finish to his career.
4. Charlie Brewer
If this were a list comparing Baylor careers, Charlie Brewer would be way higher on the list. But Charlie Brewer's Baylor career, specifically under Dave Aranda, was poor. I won't claim that Brewer was bad in the 2020 season, but he was significantly worse than he was in 2019, when he was great for Baylor, leading them to a Big 12 championship appearance with Matt Rhule. In 2020, Brewer played nine games; he totaled 14 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and the Bears went 2-7.
Charlie Brewer is still remembered as a Baylor great for the two fantastic years he had in 2018 and 2019, leading the team to the Big 12 championship appearance and an 11-3 season in 2019. Brewer would go on and transfer to Utah after the Covid season in 2020, where he would only appear in three games for the Utes.
3. Gerry Bohanon
Gerry Bohanon is one of the more polarizing Baylor Football players I have witnessed in my time being a fan and covering the team. While Bohanon led Baylor through its most successful season in program history in 2021, he was beaten out the following offseason by the next guy on this list, Blake Shapen. Bohanon had his ups and downs in a Baylor uniform. His performance against #8 Oklahoma at McLane Stadium was one of the best quarterback performances I had ever seen. His dual-threat ability, along with the two running backs Baylor had at the time, made for an unstoppable offense on the ground.
𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) January 26, 2022
One of 2 rushing touchdowns and a career high 107 rushing yards for Gerry Bohanon vs Oklahoma#SicEm | #BUncommon pic.twitter.com/4p73AYAqIq
Bohanon also had his downs with the Bears. Most notably, the game against TCU, where he threw a last-minute interception to the sideline, marked Baylor's second loss of the season, effectively ruining the team's playoff chances. He then got injured in the second-to-last game of the season, and his backup, Blake Shapen, stepped up and was amazing. He then got beat out in the offseason and transferred to USF, where he struggled to stay healthy.
2. Blake Shapen
Blake Shapen had a long career with Baylor, leading them to. a win in a Big 12 Championship game, and also leading the team to one of their worst seasons of the modern era. Overall, Blake Shapen was never the problem at Baylor. When Bohanon was injured in 2021, many Baylor fans were worried, but Shapen stepped in and didn't miss a beat. He finished the game at Kansas State after the Bohanon injury and had a great game against Texas Tech to close the season.
Shapen up to be a good one 😎
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) December 4, 2021
✅ 17-for-21
✅ 151 yards
✅ 3 TDs
What a half, @BShapen 👏#SicEm | #BUncommon pic.twitter.com/UbMcfj5REP
He started against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship, and he had an awesome game. He went 23/28 and had three touchdowns. He started that game on fire, completing 17 passes in a row to start the game. Blake's career from then on was rough. He led the team to a 6-7 season in 2022, where he played well but the team had a lot of issues surrounding him, mainly a lack of receiver talent. 2023 was then a year to forget for Shapen, leading the team to a 3-9 record, and dealing with injury throughout. Shapen would then transfer to Mississippi State to play out the rest of his career.
1. Sawyer Robertson
Sawyer Robertson will forever be a hero in Waco. He is the most recent quarterback featured on this list, and by far the most talented of the bunch. Robertson joined the program in 2023 and backed up Shapen during that season. In his starter opportunities, he struggled in 2023 and then lost an offseason QB battle to Dequan Finn. Sawyer was resilient, though, and got his opportunity in Week 3 of the 2024 season, where he got the reins and never let go. Sawyer was a massive part of the six-game win streak in 2024 and had a lot of hype heading into 2025.
Robertson runnin' wild 💨#SicEm pic.twitter.com/q6A5peqDer
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) October 26, 2024
Sawyer succeeded in 2025, but the team did not. He started the year on fire, but as the team's performance tailed off, so did his. Sawyer went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but is currently working out with the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.
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