Official: Baylor Parts Ways With Dave Aranda

Baylor has parted ways with head football coach Dave Aranda after seven seasons. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news. 

The firing follows Baylor’s ugly back-to-back losses to Kansas and TCU, neither of which had beaten a Power Four opponent going into the matchup. Against the Horned Frogs, the Bears lost 17-6 and failed to score a touchdown in front of a nearly packed McLane Stadium. Versus the Jayhawks, the Bears lost 25-24 when a game-winning field goal was blocked in the final minute, giving Baylor its first loss to Kansas since 2007.

“Anyone who knows Dave Aranda understands what a genuine and honorable person he is and how much he deeply cares for his players, staff and this University,” athletic director Doug McNamee said. “He is a gifted coach and a brilliant football mind whose leadership brought some of our best Baylor football memories. While this is a difficult moment, we believe a change in leadership is necessary at this time for our program. We will forever be thankful to Dave and his family for their time here at Baylor, and we wish them well.”

The California native compiled a 40-40 record over seven seasons and led the Bears to arguably the best year in program history in 2021, when Baylor won a program-record 12 games, a Big 12 Championship and the Sugar Bowl over No. 8 Ole Miss.

Since then, however, the program has struggled to sustain that success. Baylor went 6-7 in 2022 and 3-9 in 2023 before rebounding to 8-5 in 2024, closing the regular season on a six-game winning streak behind quarterback Sawyer Robertson and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.

The Bears failed to capitalize on that momentum in 2025, stumbling to a 5-7 record despite entering the season expected to compete for a Big 12 Championship. Those struggles ultimately carried into 2026, culminating in Aranda’s dismissal.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Aranda is 7-15 against Power Four opponents in McLane Stadium and 0-7 against ranked teams. Had former athletic director Mack Rhoades not stepped down last fall for personal reasons, Aranda likely wouldn't have made it through the 2025 season. In his tenure, Aranda is 1-6 against TCU and has a combined record of 5-10 against TCU, Texas Tech and Houston.

Now, roughly 10 months after Doug McNamee was hired as Baylor’s athletic director, he will lead his first coaching search. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as the interim head coach.