Baylor president Linda Livingstone announced that the Bears are retaining head football coach Dave Aranda for the 2026 season. Aranda is 36-35 with two games left in Year 6 as the head man in charge. He led the Bears to a 2021 Big 12 championship and a win over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, which earned him an extension through the 2029 season. 

Since then, however, Baylor football has suffered losing seasons in two of the last three campaigns. The program is 22-26 overall with a 15-19 mark in Big 12 play over the last four seasons. Baylor is 6-14 at home against FBS competition since the start of 2022. 

“After careful evaluation and consideration, we have decided to retain Coach Dave Aranda as the leader of our football program,” Livingstone said in a letter. “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.”

Aranda was nearly fired after the 2023 season but convinced athletic director Mach Rhoades, who is currently on leave, to keep him as head coach and let him hire a dynamic offensive coordinator with head coaching experience so Aranda could take over as defensive play caller. 

The plan worked in the back-half of the 2024 season as the Bears won six straight to close the regular season and build momentum for a Big 12 run in 2025. Jake Spavital and the Bears offense, led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson, held up their end of the bargain, averaging over 30 points per game and ranking in the top half of the Big 12 in scoring offense. 

Aranda defense is what kept Baylor from reaching its goals. The Bears ranked 10th in scoring defense while allowing 18.1 points per game during the 12-win 2021 season. Since then, Baylor has ranked 67th, 116th, 81st, and 119th in scoring defense. The 2025 unit is allowing over 30 points per game and is second to last in the Big 12 in scoring defense with only Oklahoma State allowing more. 

“We acknowledge the frustrations many of you feel, and we share in them,” the letter continued. “Baylor Football has experienced both historic highs and challenging seasons under Coach Aranda. While we celebrate the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl victory in 2021, we know this season has not met our shared expectations.”

The Bears are currently 5-5 with tough games against Arizona and Houston remaining. They must win at least one of those games to reach a bowl game. The high buy out, which is north of $15 million, and a crowded coaching carousel were factors in retaining Aranda. As was athletic director Mack Rhoades’ decision to step down yesterday.