Mack Rhoades Discusses Dave Aranda's Progress, Anthracite Uniforms & Paying Players

On Tuesday, Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades sat down with 365 Sports for an in-studio interview to discuss his role on the College Football Playoff committee, the latest changes across the college athletics landscape and many other subjects. 

This article focuses on Baylor-specific topics such as his thoughts on head coach Dave Aranda’s progress in his fifth year at the helm, the Bears' new anthracite uniforms and the ‘We Pay Players’ mantra.

When head coach Dave Aranda’s Bears limped across the finish line to end the 2023 season with a 3-9 record, his seat was scorching hot, and his job was in jeopardy. 

Shortly after the conclusion of his fourth year at the helm, Aranda met with athletic director Mack Rhoades to discuss his vision for the future of the Baylor program in order to retain his job. This vision included him taking over as the defensive play-caller and restructuring BU’s NIL principles to help with both transfer portal prospects and high school recruits.

When asked his thoughts on Aranda’s progress since that conversation, Rhoades raved about him, saying he’s held up his end of the bargain so far.

“He’s crushed it when you think about retention of players, staff [hirings], transfer portal, verbal commits right now for December of 2024,” Rhoades said. “He’s done all of that exceptionally well. The fact that he is so deep into football has given him an edge. He’s grumpy; he’s got an edge. You’ve seen more emotion from him, and all those things are really positive.”

Defensively, Aranda has gotten back to his roots, taking on more responsibility, including calling plays and being more involved in game planning. 

Through three games, the Bears have limited opponents to 22 total points if you exclude the blocked kick returned for a touchdown against the No. 11 Utes on Sept. 7. Against Air Force last weekend, Baylor became the first non-service academy team since San Diego State in 2003 to hold the Falcons without a touchdown.

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Through three games, the Bears have limited opponents to 22 total points if you exclude the blocked kick returned for a touchdown against No. 11 Utah.

“I’m proud of Dave; It’s really hard to juggle being a head coach and a defensive coordinator,” Rhoades said. “When you think about the Utah game, plus the other two, what stands out for me is that our players are competing. They are fighting, and that’s really good to see. It is such an important part of the team's culture.”

On the recruiting trail, Baylor made some noise over the summer after Aranda said the uptick in the program’s recruiting success was due to “paying players.” Currently, the Bears have the third-best 2025 recruiting class in the conference, which includes seven four-star prospects.

Since that comment in mid-July, the Bears’ coaching staff has leaned into the bit even further, rocking “We Pay Players” T-shirts to practices throughout fall camp. Rhoades was a fan of the movement, saying, “I loved it. I think embracing that nationally brought some excitement to the program. There were some detractors, and you’re always going to have that, but I was completely supportive of it.”

Against Air Force, Baylor’s ‘Mission Black Ops’ theme was a massive success. For the first time since 2017, the Bears donned “anthracite” or “black” uniforms on the field, which have been a huge hit amongst the fans and players alike.

“People love the anthracite uniforms and just that different feel and look; we need to continue to do more of that,” Rhoades said. “I think everybody was on the same page, and we need to do more of that. We need to be diligent about continuing to create those types of environments, and winning is certainly part of that as well.”

Baylor’s win over the Falcons was its first FBS home victory since October 2022. Despite coming off a 3-9 season, the fans have shown up in droves to McLane Stadium this year, including over 46,000 people for the matchup against Air Force.

“Hats off to our fan engagement team,” Rhoades said. “The entire athletic department is doing a better job of connecting with our fans. I thought it was a great atmosphere [against Air Force]. When you think about our first two home games, I’m really proud of our fans. They’ve been terrific. They’ve been loud and have shown up.”