Major college program announces head football coach will return for 2026 season

Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda and UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost talk at midfield prior to a game at McLane Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The coaching carousel is spinning at top speed and will claim more fired head coaches in the days and weeks to come, but amidst all the chaos, one major program has decided to stay the course.

Baylor announced Friday that head coach Dave Aranda will return in 2026, despite a 5-5 record with two games left this season and a 36-35 career mark in six seasons.

Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone intimated that a big factor in the decision is that the school does not presently have an athletic director after announcing the departure of Mack Rhoades on Thursday.

"After careful evaluation and consideration, we have decided to retain Coach Dave Aranda as the leader of our football program. We recognize this decision will generate strong opinions. Let me be clear: Baylor expects excellence, accountability and competitiveness at the highest level. We are not complacent, and we are not settling for mediocrity," Livingstone said in a statement.

"... Our next Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics must have the opportunity to assess the football program and chart its long-term direction."

Message from President Livingstone

✍️ https://t.co/EuSHnD7fI1 pic.twitter.com/zlZKSEBS5P

— Baylor Athletics (@BaylorAthletics) November 21, 2025

Livingstone also noted "retaining our current roster and protecting a nationally-ranked recruiting class" and financial considerations of investing in the program rather than "significant buyout costs during an unprecedented turnover of coaches across the country."

Baylor has the 29th-ranked 2026 recruiting class per 247Sports, which is the third-best in the Big 12.

Aranda is a first-time head coach after rising up as one of the most coveted and highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football at Wisconsin and LSU, including the Tigers' 2019 national championship season.

But Aranda's Baylor defenses haven't been very good in recent years -- in fact, the offense has been the strength of the team as quarterback Sawyer Robertson leads the country with 3,210 passing yards.

Baylor ranks 91st in total defense this season, giving up 393.3 yards per game, after ranking 87th and 113th the last two years.

Aranda went 12-2 in 2021, his second season at Baylor, leading the Bears to a Big 12 championship, Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss and No. 5 final AP ranking, but he has only one other winning season in his tenure so far (8-5 in 2024). He's weathered the hot seat throughout his tenure, especially after going 6-7 in 2022, followed by 3-9 in 2023, before bouncing back last year.

The Bears close this season against Arizona and then home vs. No. 23 Houston, hoping to become bowl eligible with a sixth win.

"We acknowledge the frustrations many of your feel, and we share in them," Livingstone said.