Space Cutter said:

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Baylor needs to stop searching for the shining star or the golden ring coach.

Traylor at UTSA always has his team pumped up to play. They play fast and beyond their ability. He's a coach who fights for his team during the game. His Texas high school coaches connections are outstanding for recruiting. I doubt he reads Bernstein Bears books. His loyalty factor means Baylor might be able to keep him. I believe he's looking to advance his career over UTSA. Might even get him for less money than the so-called next superstar coach flying by.

But PLEASE get rid of Amanda

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Traylor is back at the top of my list. I love the guy. I watch a lot of UTSA football, and he's done a remarkable job with mediocre (or worse) NIL resources compared to his peers atop the American. I think he'd do a great job at Baylor, where he'd have comparable resources to every conference mate but a couple.

BearsFan said:

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Rhett Lashlee isn't leaving SMU for Baylor. The only place he would leave for is his alma mater Arkansas.

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I don't even know if he'd do that. Arkansas is kind of a disaster right now. They don't have the investment level/resources to compete in the SEC. Lashlee likely has a better NIL operation at SMU than he'd ever have at Arkansas.

He's got a pretty cushy gig honestly. His fan base (what few fans there at SMU) are just happy that the program is in the ACC. And as a member of that conference, they can compete at the top of the league perennially with what their big-money boosters are willing to provide.

PartyBear said:

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Space Cutter said:

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Baylor needs to stop searching for the shining star or the golden ring coach.

Traylor at UTSA always has his team pumped up to play. They play fast and beyond their ability. He's a coach who fights for his team during the game. His Texas high school coaches connections are outstanding for recruiting. I doubt he reads Bernstein Bears books. His loyalty factor means Baylor might be able to keep him. I believe he's looking to advance his career over UTSA. Might even get him for less money than the so-called next superstar coach flying by.

But PLEASE get rid of Amanda

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High school kids rarely stay with who they sign their letter of intent with. That is just their first school. High school connection is now an obsolete factor for the most part in the modern world. Hell these days it is the GM's office rounding up recruits for visits etc,

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UTSA has actually done a really good job of retaining talent given its limited NIL budget. All of their best skill players are guys that they recruited and/or developed -- and they're good, too.

I believe it's a skill to build that kind of culture. I've frequently credited Aranda for having the same skill. Unfortunately, unlike Traylor, Dave doesn't win enough games to really capitalize on the continuity.

Aliceinbubbleland said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Aliceinbubbleland said:

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sporthree said:

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Mike Gundy
Lincoln Riley
Jeff Traylor

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What's your issue with Traylor?

The guy has almost a .700 win percentage and no losing seasons at a program that was 41-55 all time before he arrived.

Traylor has a significantly better record at UTSA than Briles had at Houston when Baylor hired him.

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Fair question

He has a great record at Gilmer HS. He had over 85% win rate with state titles. He has been good at UTSA. I am not opposed if they hire him. I just was hoping for someone younger and with NIL experience.

I think we put too much emphasis on hiring within the state simply because the fans believe Texas has the best talent. Outsiders like Rhule did very well getting assistants who were talented in scouting.

I like Mullen so that's the type I'd hope we hire. If not, Traylor is a good choice.

I didn't know he was an assistant at UT, Arkansas and SMU.

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One thing I like about Traylor is that he grew really close to Rhule during his time at Baylor and utilizes a lot of the same program- and culture-building techniques ... and, frankly, gimmicks in some cases. Google "210 Triangle of Toughness," which was directly inspired by Rhule's single-digit deal.

He's very much a program/culture builder, which is my favorite kind of high school and college coach. But unlike Aranda, who I think is actually good in that regard, Traylor also has a handle on the football, Xs and Os side of things.

Timbear said:

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Aliceinbubbleland said:

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jikespingleton said:

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Ya sorry. I wasn't clear.

I'm thinking that since we have never poached a successful HC from a P4, what is the point of saying we can no longer do it? We have never done it, regardless of the state of the program.

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I wonder how many from P4's have shown no interest if ask if they would come?

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Coming to Baylor is a step down for practically all P4 HC's especially now. The culture is suffocating with all the unwritten rules that limit recruitment, and pry into the coach's spiritual life even after he's said he's a believer, to make Baylor appear to be Christian. How many P4 HC's want amazing grace played at games? What a ridiculous gimmick.
For decades, Baylor has not been a place where previously successful P4 coaches come.
Dave Aranda, no experience
Bill Beall, no experience
Guy Morris, average previous success at best.

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You forgot Kevin Steele…he was never a HC prior to Baylor and has never been one again.

#FireAranda

Jacques Strap said:

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Just go back and see which posters on the free board had Curt Cignetti at the top of their list and hire them to do a search instead of the committee that recommended CDA.

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Monty was the only one that comes to mind, but there may be others. He posted about Cignetti in 2022 and created a thread in 2023 after the Texas State loss.

https://sicem365.com/forums/2/topics/127571

I'm all in on Eck, then Danielson. Traylor as the "safe" hire.

Liberty's HC

bear2be2 said:

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Space Cutter said:

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Baylor needs to stop searching for the shining star or the golden ring coach.

Traylor at UTSA always has his team pumped up to play. They play fast and beyond their ability. He's a coach who fights for his team during the game. His Texas high school coaches connections are outstanding for recruiting. I doubt he reads Bernstein Bears books. His loyalty factor means Baylor might be able to keep him. I believe he's looking to advance his career over UTSA. Might even get him for less money than the so-called next superstar coach flying by.

But PLEASE get rid of Amanda

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Traylor is back at the top of my list. I love the guy. I watch a lot of UTSA football, and he's done a remarkable job with mediocre (or worse) NIL resources compared to his peers atop the American. I think he'd do a great job at Baylor, where he'd have comparable resources to every conference mate but a couple.

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I agree with your take on Traylor. I also suspect he's figured out that the only Univ of Texas program that matters to the Regents is the behemoth in Austin, even though UTSA has an excellent grad school and now has a huge university population. But he's not getting whipped cream on top of his cherries in SA, though the city is supporting him. Also, that "cream" is being siphoned off as he develops talent (which he is good at doing). he certainly communicates well at all levels (in my experience) and by all counts is a stand-up guy. He wasn't at the top of my "list" back-when but I think he'd do a good job at BU.

With any Dave replacement we don't want to be in a position where we raise the floor without raising the ceiling.

Cycling between 6-6 and 8-4 is better than cycling between 4-8 and 8-4 but that isn't the goal.

Realitybites said:

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With any Dave replacement we don't want to be in a position where we raise the floor without raising the ceiling.

Cycling between 6-6 and 8-4 is better than cycling between 4-8 and 8-4 but that isn't the goal.

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Our ceiling gets raised by increasing our NIL expenditure.

BrutalBear said:

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I'm all in on Eck, then Danielson. Traylor as the "safe" hire.

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Eck will be coaching in the Big Ten next year most likely. I don't see him as a realistic candidate for Baylor unfortunately.

Traylor and Danielson could potentially have better offers than Baylor by the end of the year; both could win their conferences which would make them fairly hot candidates. But who knows.

What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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Saban was singing his praise on Game Day this morning. That's a great rec.

We should get the SFA coach

BUwolverine2012 said:

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We should get the SFA coach

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He would be a smart hire. Could get him for cheap and probably add 2 million to our NIL budget. Or allow us to significantly upgrade our offensive coordinator

Youre a clown said:

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BUwolverine2012 said:

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We should get the SFA coach

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He would be a smart hire. Could get him for cheap and probably add 2 million to our NIL budget. Or allow us to significantly upgrade our offensive coordinator

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correct. impressive resume too. he's built multiple programs and shown sustainability

Why not hire a guy who has actually won an FCS championship?

That would be Vigen at Montana St.

jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

bear2be2 said:

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jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

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I'd humbly suggest we don't say "no" for him.

bear2be2 said:

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jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

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I think we need a paradigm shift where we start accepting that we may be a steppingstone to the Big Ten and SEC. We simply cannot compete with them financially. I think a head coach with a little ambition is generally a good thing.

jikespingleton said:

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Why not hire a guy who has actually won an FCS championship?

That would be Vigen at Montana St.

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He and Carthel would be the two FCS coaches I look at. There may be others, but those kind of stick out

canoso said:

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bear2be2 said:

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jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

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I'd humbly suggest we don't say "no" for him.

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I'm sure we'd inquire, and we should. But like Cignetti or Chesney, I think Eck is destined for a higher profile job than Baylor.

Youre a clown said:

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bear2be2 said:

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jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

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I think we need a paradigm shift where we start accepting that we may be a steppingstone to the Big Ten and SEC. We simply cannot compete with them financially. I think a head coach with a little ambition is generally a good thing.

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I don't think there will be any stepping stone with Eck. That's my point. He'll go straight from New Mexico to the Big Ten IMO like Cignetti and Chesney did.

bear2be2 said:

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Youre a clown said:

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bear2be2 said:

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jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

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I think we need a paradigm shift where we start accepting that we may be a steppingstone to the Big Ten and SEC. We simply cannot compete with them financially. I think a head coach with a little ambition is generally a good thing.

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I don't think there will be any stepping stone with Eck. That's my point. He'll go straight from New Mexico to the Big Ten IMO like Cignetti and Chesney did.

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Yeah, unfortunately, that's exactly where I'm at with a lot of the names that are being thrown out. Spencer Danielson and Traylor are potentially about to be very hot candidates if they win their respective conferences. Eck as well. But I would be happy with just about any name that's being thrown out. I'm not even as opposed to certain retreads like Luke Fickell if he becomes available

Youre a clown said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Youre a clown said:

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bear2be2 said:

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jikespingleton said:

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What do we know about Eck? I'm too lazy to look it up

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He's a great coach, but he comes out of the Big Ten tree and is likely destined to return there.

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I think we need a paradigm shift where we start accepting that we may be a steppingstone to the Big Ten and SEC. We simply cannot compete with them financially. I think a head coach with a little ambition is generally a good thing.

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I don't think there will be any stepping stone with Eck. That's my point. He'll go straight from New Mexico to the Big Ten IMO like Cignetti and Chesney did.

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Yeah, unfortunately, that's exactly where I'm at with a lot of the names that are being thrown out. Spencer Danielson and Traylor are potentially about to be very hot candidates if they win their respective conferences. Eck as well. But I would be happy with just about any name that's being thrown out. I'm not even as opposed to certain retreads like Luke Fickell if he becomes available

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I think retreads historically have a bad success rate.

Why would Fickell have any incentive to prove anything at our level anymore?

Danielson and McNamee together would be like door to door Jehovahs
Witnesses

Being indecisive is how you miss out on coaches.

Be it eck, vigen or carthel, we need to make a move.

Eck resurrected programs at Idaho and New Mexico…. If we still had Sam Coates restaurant he'd be a shoo in .hope he won't charge by the pound,,

bear2be2 said:

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Space Cutter said:

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Baylor needs to stop searching for the shining star or the golden ring coach.

Traylor at UTSA always has his team pumped up to play. They play fast and beyond their ability. He's a coach who fights for his team during the game. His Texas high school coaches connections are outstanding for recruiting. I doubt he reads Bernstein Bears books. His loyalty factor means Baylor might be able to keep him. I believe he's looking to advance his career over UTSA. Might even get him for less money than the so-called next superstar coach flying by.

But PLEASE get rid of Amanda

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Traylor is back at the top of my list. I love the guy. I watch a lot of UTSA football, and he's done a remarkable job with mediocre (or worse) NIL resources compared to his peers atop the American. I think he'd do a great job at Baylor, where he'd have comparable resources to every conference mate but a couple.

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this is the guy. we let joey walk out the door, fritz was interested and morris wanted the job. don't get cute and try to be the smartest AD in the room like Mack. Hire a proven head coach who just wins wherever he has been whose teams play with fire and intensity. TRAYLOR

It is probably helpful to try and calculate a head coaches record prior to 2021 separately from his record from 2021-2026. This gives you a look at how he has performed in the NIL era and if there has been a significant drop off with the arrival of the new rules (as in the case of Swinney).

As far as Kinne, his record at Texas State is 26-19 after 8-5, 8-5, 7-6, and so far a 4-3 season which will probably end up around a 5-7 or 6-6 type of year.

While I had him on the list, I don't think this represents the sort of upgrade we are looking for and am going to remove him from my personal list.

Traylor is 58-27 at UTSA and has the Roadrunners off to a 5-1 start after a couple of years of growing pains after UTSA's move from C-USA to the American Conference. Their only loss is to Texas. They beat Kinnee and Texas State head to head and have four straight wins over Colorado State, Rice, USF, and Navy and have a realistic shot at a conference championship.

I think he would be a better choice than Kinne and if UTSA does as well as they might this year it is entirely possible that somone else will hire him.

College Football Head Coach Hot Seat Rankings for 2026

I still get the feeling that we waited too long with traylor. He's about to become a pretty hot candidate. Should've hired him last year. Or the year before that. Or the year before that

Mike Jacobs at Toledo is another one that I would strongly consider. Started out coaching D2, had a lot of success. moved onto two different FCS programs and had a lot of success at both. Now he is at Toledo and having a lot of success. I really like that trajectory in a coach.

94-23 career record (.803 winning percentage), 7 conference championships, 6 playoff appearances, and 5 conference Coach of the Year awards. He went 206 at Mercer, winning back-to-back Southern Conference championships in 2024 and 2025. His 2024 defense ranked No. 1 nationally among 123 FCS teams in rushing defense, sacks, forced turnovers, and interceptions. In 2025, Mercer ranked 3rd nationally in FCS total offense at 485.2 yards per game and averaged 36.2 points. He has never had a losing season as a head coach.