Baylor Fires Head Coach Dave Aranda After Loss to Kansas

Baylor Makes a Change

Baylor fired football coach Dave Aranda on Sunday after he spent more than six seasons leading the team. The school made the decision just one day after the Bears suffered a loss against Kansas.

That defeat was a significant result for both teams. Kansas earned its very first Big 12 victory of the season against Baylor. The win also snapped a long 14 game losing streak for Kansas against the Bears, a streak that started back in 2007.

The Aranda Era at Baylor

Aranda first took over the Baylor program when he was hired in 2020. His most successful year with the Bears came during the 2021 season. That year, he guided the team to a 12-2 record.

During that 2021 campaign, Baylor won the Big 12 championship game and followed it up with a victory in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. However, the program could not maintain that level of success. Since that bowl victory, Aranda managed to record just one season with a finish better than .500.

Interim Coach and the Future

With Aranda gone, defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will take over as Baylor's interim coach for the rest of the season. Klanderman is a veteran defensive coordinator who came over from Kansas State this year.

He takes over a team that currently sits at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play this season. However, the hardest portion of the schedule is still ahead for the Bears. Baylor has five remaining regular season games on the schedule. The final portion of the year includes a road game at BYU, a home contest against Texas Tech, and a road matchup at Houston.

What it means for the next game

Baylor Bears at UCF Knights (College Football, Fri, 30 Oct): UCF Knights win 51%, Baylor Bears win 49%; projected score UCF Knights 26, Baylor Bears 23. Our safest pick: UCF +7.5.