Why Baylor is giving Dave Aranda one more year
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To the disappointment of many Baylor football fans, Dave Aranda will be brought back for the 2026 football season. President Livingstone cited three main reasons for retaining Dave Aranda: stability through transition, student-athlete experience, and financial stewardship. These reasons together have allowed Dave Aranda another year at Baylor. Through six seasons as head coach, Dave Aranda has amassed a mediocre 36-35 record.
RELATED: Baylor fans react in disbelief as Dave Aranda is granted 2026 season in Waco
Stability through transition
Livingstone sites stability through transition, obviously referring to the Mack Rhoades situation and now the imminent search for a new athletic director. This is a point I do understand, you are currently looking to hire a new athletic director, and it would be unfair to that person to make a judgment on Aranda after two weeks of football and a potential bowl game. The decision to bring back Aranda allows the new athletic director to work with Aranda and to potentially find success together.
Retaining a Top-25 Recruiting Class
The Class of 2026 for Baylor is historic. Seven four-stars that would most likely all be gone if Coach Aranda had been fired after the season. All those players are "committed" to Baylor; these guys are still taking visits, talking to other coaches, and keeping their options open. The schools commitment to Dave Aranda shows that they can walk into a program with a coach that they committed to. As much as the fans may dislike Aranda, recruits and parents of recruits speak very highly of him.
They are committed to Baylor University, but they are also committed to Aranda and his staff, specifically Coach Khenon Hall and Coach Dallas Baker, two guys who may leave if Aranda is fired. This class is just a piece of the recruiting power of this staff, who have already landed two highly rated recruits for the 2027 class as well.
Financial Stewardship
The athletic department and Board of Regents sit at a crossroads financially. Shell out the money for a hefty buyout, or reinvest this money into NIL, roster construction, and supplementing this squad in the transfer portal this Winter. It looks as if Baylor leans towards the latter, instead of paying a hefty buyout, which includes Aranda's staff, which also has to be bought out, they want to invest in getting Aranda and his staff the personnel that can make them competitive once again.
Dave Aranda has always been a cultural fit at Baylor. A good Christian man who truly loves and cares about his players. The fit between Baylor's mission and Dave Aranda as a man is perfect. If it were to work out with Dave Aranda, it seems that he would never leave either. After the 2021 season, Aranda reportedly had a job offer from LSU, which he declined to build something at Baylor. If Aranda can find success here, he can be the guy for Baylor football for the next 20 years.
I see two outcomes: either Aranda finally figures it out in year seven, wins 9–10 games, and Baylor saves millions while finding its coach of the future, or 2026 becomes a filler year, the new athletic director moves on from Aranda after another disappointing season, and Baylor brings in someone who can re-energize the fanbase.
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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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