Reports: Baylor retaining head coach Dave Aranda despite 3-9 season
However, major changes are reportedly coming to Waco
Baylor is sticking with head coach Dave Aranda for another season.
BU athletic director Mack Rhoades confirmed to multiple media outlets that he has decided to retain Aranda despite the Bears enduring a brutal 2023 season.
Baylor went 12-2 and won the Big 12 championship in 2021 but has struggled mightily over the past two seasons. Baylor finished the 2022 season 6-7, closing on a four-game losing streak. Things got worse in 2023. Following Saturday’s home loss to West Virginia, Baylor finished the season 3-9. The loss was also the Bears’ ninth consecutive defeat vs. FBS competition at home.
The 34-31 loss to West Virginia on Saturday was emblematic of the entire season. Baylor had a late lead but missed a field goal at the 1:14 mark that would have made it a seven-point game. Immediately after the miss, WVU drove 80 yards in six plays and scored the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left.
The season got off to a miserable 2-4 start that included a 42-31 home loss to Texas State and blowout losses to Texas and Texas Tech. The Bears had an incredible come-from-behind win over UCF on Sept. 30 and later improved to 2-2 in Big 12 play by beating Cincinnati on the road. Since then, Baylor hasn’t won a game and closed out the year with five consecutive losses.
Despite the stark downturn from 2021’s Big 12 title, Aranda will get a chance to turn things around. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, who first reported the news, major changes are coming to the program.
Overall, Aranda has a 23-24 (15-20 Big 12) record during his four seasons in Waco. Aranda made his name in the coaching world by emerging as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football.
It will be Aranda's job to guide the Bears into the new-look Big 12 next season.
