Inside The Bears

Tide officially turning on Dave Aranda's tenure at Baylor

With both fans and now media calling for Aranda's firing, he may already be in a hole he can't get out of
Josh Crawford|
Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda works the sideline during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda works the sideline during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

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The whispers have turned into full-blown screams and yells. 

With the Baylor Bears falling to a 4-4 and a losing record in Big 12 play after a blowout loss at Cincinnati, all preseason expectations have officially gone up in smoke. Even Dave Aranda seems to know it.

Three months ago, friend of the site Shehan Jeyarajah said in our preseason podcast that the expectation should be for Baylor to win somewhere between eight and 10 wins, in the hunt for a Big 12 championship appearance and a potential playoff spot. 

Fast forward to today, and the Bears find themselves in a dogfight just to get to a bowl game, with a previously Heisman-contending quarterback having regressed, and the defense having given up 40 points for their second game in a row. 

Following the game, a wave of fans on social media let it be known that they are ready for the end of the Dave Aranda era in Baylor.

A not-so-small contingent of fans think it shouldn’t stop there, lamenting Baylor athletic director for the current middling state of the football program:

Others seemed to be turned off by a perception that Aranda has lost the locker room and players are no longer fighting for the sixth-year head coach:

However, if it’s one thing for fans to feel that way (it is short for fanatic for a reason). However, a recent article, titled “The Dave Aranda Era Has Run Its Course at Baylor, published in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, one of the longest-running and well-respected publications in the state, could be tide-turning moment in the legitimacy of the argument to fire Aranda, and may signal the beginning of the end for the former LSU defensive coordinator. 

Article author Mike Craven levies some pretty heavy criticism against Aranda, calling for Baylor to even make the change mid-season in the subheading of the piece, and coming to the conclusion with some evidence-based arguments:

“[Aranda’s] high was the 2021 season when he led the Bears to 12 wins and a Big 12 championship with a roster mostly left over from the Matt Rhule era.. Since that season, the Bears are 21-25 overall, and 14-19 against the Big 12. Three of his five full seasons have finished below .500”

Craven finishes off the article with the  argument of a bleak present and an even bleaker future if the Bears continue along the current trend:

“What is the play if Rhoades & Co. decide to keep Aranda and run it back for Year 7?…How do you get a fan base to buy any hope in the future, especially if everything that’s made the last two seasons are no longer in Waco?...With in-state rivals like Texas Tech, TCU, and now Houston jumping to the from of the Big 12 line, the Bears must at now.”

Heavy criticism, but not any rooted in bias or untruthfulness. Only time will tell if Aranda will get the chance to change the narrative around his tenure to this point. 

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Josh Crawford
JOSH CRAWFORD

Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.

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