What is the Biggest Question Dave Aranda has to Answer This Season?

Dave Aranda is up against it this season. He needs to win, or else. As a result, every decision he makes is a big one, so what's the biggest question he needs to answer?

Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Baylor head coach Dave Aranda speaks to reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is no way around it. Dave Aranda needs a big season in 2026 in order to keep his job. This could be his last chance, not just at Baylor, but as a head coach.

That makes every decision he makes even more important than it would otherwise be. He’s done a lot of work in the offseason to add to his roster at various positions of need.

What is the biggest question that faces Aranda going into the 2026 season?

There is a lot of focus on the offense. DJ Lagway was a big addition from the transfer portal. The Bears added a plethora of pass catchers to try and put points on the scoreboard.

A potential three-headed monster in the backfield should be enough to give the Bears some semblance of a ground game.

Looking Within

The biggest question that is facing Baylor’s embattled head coach, however, does not have anything to do with the offense.

When Aranda was hired, it was because of his chops as a defensive coordinator. He was wildly successful as a defensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin and LSU before taking the head coaching job at Baylor.

He coached plenty of star studded defenses in Madison and Baton Rouge.

Since coming to Baylor, however, the defense has left a lot to be desired. Yes, the Big 12 is different than the Big 10, or SEC, but that does not excuse some of the issues that have plagued Baylor’s defense.

Last season was the worst of them all. One of the fundamental principles of any defense is to try and make an opposing offense one-dimensional by taking away the ground game.

One of the first installs in any offense on any team is their inside run game.

Baylor’s run defense was putrid a season ago, finishing 122nd in the country.

Safe to say, that is not going to cut it.

Fighting For Survival

Whenever coaches are embattled and fighting for their job, it’s their natural instinct to dig into what they know the best.

That is to say a coach who has tried to evolve, will likely try to go back to their roots that got them there.

Aranda is a coach who got this job based on defense, and he has some reinforcements coming to help that unit succeed this year.

Travion Barnes is returning from a major injury and should provide leadership and playmaking in the spine of the defense.

Hosea Wheeler was added via the transfer portal this offseason, and should give them a playmaking defensive tackle.

Aranda was an expert at coming up with coverage schemes to confuse the best quarterbacks in both the Big Ten and the SEC during his time as a coordinator. Leaning further into that side of the ball is something that could serve Aranda well.

As much as Baylor has focused on the offensive side of the ball, there are going to be growing pains with a new quarterback and a new cast of characters at the skill position groups. The Bears will need to lean on their defense, especially early in the season to combat any issues that may arise as the offense tries to find its footing.

The question that Aranda has to answer is very simple. Are you still the coach that you once were? Can you get the most out of this group?

Because if he can’t, a moving company will be at his house sooner than later.

With NIL being a major talking point in college football, these three #Baylor players could command a lot more money with a nice fall camp and 2026 season.

STORY: https://t.co/txS8sM4S4x pic.twitter.com/pk8jgDbiKe

— Baylor Bears On SI (@BaylorBearsOnSI) August 4, 2026