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Baylor Football

Breaking: Head Coach Dave Aranda To Officially Return For 2025 Season

November 16, 2024
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A Baylor spokesperson has confirmed with SicEm365 that Dave Aranda will return as head coach of the Baylor program for the 2025 season.

Aranda’s Bears earned bowl eligibility on Saturday with a 49-35 win over West Virginia. It’s Baylor’s fourth straight Big 12 win after starting the season 2-4 with close losses against Utah, Colorado and BYU.

The last official announcement by Baylor on Aranda’s contract was a February 2022 contract extension that kept Aranda in Waco through 2029. The California native’s overall record at Baylor is 29-29; he was on the hot seat entering the fall.

The Bears have tangible momentum heading into the season's final two weeks, with winnable matchups against Houston and Kansas to close out the year.

Next season, Baylor will return a strong nucleus of players, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), running back Bryson Washington (RFr.), wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.), defensive lineman Jackie Marshall (RJr.) and linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.).

Discussion from...

Breaking: Head Coach Dave Aranda To Officially Return For 2025 Season

14,268 Views | 38 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by boognish_bear
MrGolfguy
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There's Joy in Mudville after all!



W
Bearsalwayswin
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w?
Killing Floor
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Yeah. That's what "contract" means.
12-0 or 0-12 his position is guaranteed for at least the next 4 seasons.

But please don't bring lower tier portal players in to start ahead of bettet players next year.
Let’s Go!
boognish_bear
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Daveisabovereproach
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He was always coming back. They just waited until now to break it to everybody because most people aren't going to be upset, and recruits don't want to be kept guessing. Personally, I'm wondering if his seat is still warm enough to where he'll be gone if we don't go bowling next year
Killing Floor
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Win or lose he's here 4 more seasons. If we can pull off 7-8 wins this year and 10 or so next year I have no problem with him because the goal is to win, not to replace a coach. If he can figure it out that's ideal.
Let’s Go!
Daveisabovereproach
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Killing Floor said:

Win or lose he's here 4 more seasons. If we can pull off 7-8 wins this year and 10 or so next year I have no problem with him because the goal is to win, not to replace a coach. If he can figure it out that's ideal.


I think this announcement has more to do with giving recruits peace of mind. I know Mack really does not care what the average Joe fans think about Dave's job security
pcombs
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Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!
PCombs
Daveisabovereproach
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pcombs said:

Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!

The 4 game win streak has been great and credit where credit is due for Dave. I guess I'm just not as fully convinced as you. We have lost many close games and games against inferior talent under his tenure. Not a hater at all, but more in "things are looking up but let's wait and see" mode. I also think his future success at Baylor is going to hinge on him retaining key coaches and talent this year which isn't a sure thing, and of course, it would obviously be the same situation if he was let go
DCM
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I'm good with this. You win games, you get to stay.

His down period pretty much aligns exactly with when we thought we didn't need to pay players.

4 straight wins, including games in Lubbock and Morgantown, makes you my coach.
ImABearToo
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Just get some help coaching the secondary and we good. Oh, Spav leaves for more money and we're sunk again.
fredbear
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No need to waste money on paying a guy not to coach. And no guarantees on new hire. Beef up nil instead!
Chuckroast
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I'm not sure what conference team would beat us right now.
BluesBear
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Daveisabovereproach said:

pcombs said:

Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!

The 4 game win streak has been great and credit where credit is due for Dave. I guess I'm just not as fully convinced as you. We have lost many close games and games against inferior talent under his tenure. Not a hater at all, but more in "things are looking up but let's wait and see" mode. I also think his future success at Baylor is going to hinge on him retaining key coaches and talent this year which isn't a sure thing, and of course, it would obviously be the same situation if he was let go




Dave didn't win these games. Sawyer and crew did - even with his bonehead decisions. You all sunshine pumpers need to pump the brakes / when Dave can win 8 games next year then great but right now he hasn't proven anything with "his" players.
Stefano DiMera
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I feel like I'm constantly educating people on Aranda and NIL.

It was ARANDA who chose how he distributed NIL money..not Mack or anyone else.

Scott Drew embraced NIL early on. Doing better with NIL was one of the things Aranda got down on one knee when he begged for his job after the West Virginia loss last year in Mack's office.

They literally talked about this on the broadcast tonight.
Guitarbiscuit
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ImABearToo said:

Just get some help coaching the secondary and we good. Oh, Spav leaves for more money and we're sunk again.


You may well be right, since offense has been our calling card this season. Hopefully we can keep him another year, though winning tends to result in vacancies.
bear2be2
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BluesBear said:

Daveisabovereproach said:

pcombs said:

Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!

The 4 game win streak has been great and credit where credit is due for Dave. I guess I'm just not as fully convinced as you. We have lost many close games and games against inferior talent under his tenure. Not a hater at all, but more in "things are looking up but let's wait and see" mode. I also think his future success at Baylor is going to hinge on him retaining key coaches and talent this year which isn't a sure thing, and of course, it would obviously be the same situation if he was let go




Dave didn't win these games. Sawyer and crew did - even with his bonehead decisions. You all sunshine pumpers need to pump the brakes / when Dave can win 8 games next year then great but right now he hasn't proven anything with "his" players.
He may win eight games this year with "his" players. We'll definitely be favored to win next week at Houston, and we'll probably be favored at home against Kansas.

Some of our fans are clowns.
tallman1
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So when they lose it's the coach and when they win it's the players?
Mitch Henessey
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I personally like Dave Aranda. I think he's fundamentally a good man, and I'm proud to have someone like him representing our program, as opposed to somebody like Hugh Freeze, for example.

That said, I'm more excited that we keep our recruiting momentum intact for next year than I am for Dave Aranda in particular coming back. The worst case scenario for me would have been something like us going 4-8, losing close games like we did to BYU and Colorado, and "showing improvement" (which we have), and then having to make a decision whether or not to fire a coach who isn't winning and tank our stellar recruiting class, or keep said coach, keep most of the class, but have to deal with the ramifications of that on the field.

I'm very glad Aranda and Co. have made that a moot point. I'm excited about the direction of Baylor football for the first time since before the 2022 BYU game.
Chuckroast
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interesting in comparing our program with Nebraska, coached by our former coach. I'll take Baylor and our trajectory.

It's been a roller coaster ride for us for sure. 2021 was an absolutely amazing year followed by a couple of years in the wilderness. All I know is that our team is playing their heart out, having fun, showing vast improvement, and finally winning consistently. What a fluke that Colorado game was. We might be ranked right now if any number of things had played out differently in that game.
Daveisabovereproach
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BluesBear said:

Daveisabovereproach said:

pcombs said:

Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!

The 4 game win streak has been great and credit where credit is due for Dave. I guess I'm just not as fully convinced as you. We have lost many close games and games against inferior talent under his tenure. Not a hater at all, but more in "things are looking up but let's wait and see" mode. I also think his future success at Baylor is going to hinge on him retaining key coaches and talent this year which isn't a sure thing, and of course, it would obviously be the same situation if he was let go




Dave didn't win these games. Sawyer and crew did - even with his bonehead decisions. You all sunshine pumpers need to pump the brakes / when Dave can win 8 games next year then great but right now he hasn't proven anything with "his" players.


That's the first time I've been called a sunshine pumper.
Chuckroast
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Chuckroast
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It's OK simply to call it like you see it right now. Doesn't mean you are a sunshine pumper or are sugarcoating the last couple years.

Decisions to replace a coach are complicated. While it is important to consider past accomplishments to understand what a coach is capable of, I think you have to consider, first and foremost, the trajectory of the program.

In his brief tenure, Aranda has given us one of our best years in Baylor history yet we seem to have under achieved the last couple of years. It is conflicting data as he has shown a high ceiling and a low floor.

What has me excited is the trajectory of our program. He has not lost the team. They are playing really hard and are getting better, and recruiting momentum is as high as it's been in years. It's OK to recognize this. We would be crazy to rock the boat right now. Time to let it ride.

PartyBear
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I had a feeling all along we would be much better running an offense like what we currently run and like what what we ran in the Briles era. If you can get the talent to just have reasonable success with an offense from that family of offenses, and at least decent coaches to run it, teams such as ours will start having better success. Finally post Briles we have turned back to something like that. It takes a little time, but it appears to have started clicking and moving along about mid season. In our case I think our offensive staff and upgrades there are really good at this.
randybear
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I think coach Aranda had to learn how to be a head coach instead of just a coordinator. He has made a lot of mistakes but has learned from those mistakes ie, not taking advantage of the transfer portal earlier, he was using nil money to distribute evenly to the team (great concept but doesn't work in that environment), running the wrong offensive scheme and not getting more involved in the play calling. We also FINALLY have a pure QB. Brewer and Shapen played their hearts out but just didn't have the talent. Gerry tried but...... Finn is a bust but again CDA is learning.
boognish_bear
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Wonder if he will continue as DC next year or try and hire one
BearlyBeloved
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I think we can surely keep Spav next year.

With our trajectory, the only things that would tempt him away would be:
  • A P-4 head coach slot (and I don't think one year is enough to prove himself ready for that), or
  • A big-money blueblood OC position (and again I don't think one year is enough to cause those to throw money at him).

I doubt he would be tempted by another G-5 slot, like he had at Texas State. He would only want a spot that has solid NIL money plus other recruiting strengths.

But the biggest thing is that I doubt a single season is enough proof to generate offers that would tempt him. Having Sawyer back next year, with a strong supporting cast, would give Spav a chance to prove more convincingly that he would be a reliable hire. (While also convincing our BMD's to step up and make it worth his while to stay.)

So there's my two cents' worth.
LadyBear007!
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I have always liked the man, and wish him continued success! My only complaint, yes, it is picky, but I'd like to see some emotion on the sideline! Like when the offense scores, get excited about it and pat some butts or shoulders or some helmets! The same for the defense when they get a stop or turnover! That's not much but means a lot!
BluesBear
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bear2be2 said:

BluesBear said:

Daveisabovereproach said:

pcombs said:

Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!

The 4 game win streak has been great and credit where credit is due for Dave. I guess I'm just not as fully convinced as you. We have lost many close games and games against inferior talent under his tenure. Not a hater at all, but more in "things are looking up but let's wait and see" mode. I also think his future success at Baylor is going to hinge on him retaining key coaches and talent this year which isn't a sure thing, and of course, it would obviously be the same situation if he was let go




Dave didn't win these games. Sawyer and crew did - even with his bonehead decisions. You all sunshine pumpers need to pump the brakes / when Dave can win 8 games next year then great but right now he hasn't proven anything with "his" players.
He may win eight games this year with "his" players. We'll definitely be favored to win next week at Houston, and we'll probably be favored at home against Kansas.

Some of our fans are clowns.
Sawyer wasn't "HIS" player. Actually a Leach recruit for MSU. Dave put Finn over Sawyer - - that says it all. You can spin it any way you want to - -
PartyBear
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Aranda brought Sawyer here.
Chuckroast
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He brought Sawyer here and changed course when his initial plan wasn't working. Sawyer has also improved as he gains experience. Our teams's improvement is correlated with Sawyer's improvement.
bear2be2
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BluesBear said:

bear2be2 said:

BluesBear said:

Daveisabovereproach said:

pcombs said:

Nor should Mack take into account the fans reactions to coaching decisions. There is a reason we have fans and a reason we have decision makers that take into account the full picture. Arranda had his hands tied with very little NIL funds to compete in the portal for two years. We had some great donors step up and now we can compete for talent. No school can compete without talent. The playing field is more level and Arranda has proved he can lead and win when he has the tools!

The 4 game win streak has been great and credit where credit is due for Dave. I guess I'm just not as fully convinced as you. We have lost many close games and games against inferior talent under his tenure. Not a hater at all, but more in "things are looking up but let's wait and see" mode. I also think his future success at Baylor is going to hinge on him retaining key coaches and talent this year which isn't a sure thing, and of course, it would obviously be the same situation if he was let go




Dave didn't win these games. Sawyer and crew did - even with his bonehead decisions. You all sunshine pumpers need to pump the brakes / when Dave can win 8 games next year then great but right now he hasn't proven anything with "his" players.
He may win eight games this year with "his" players. We'll definitely be favored to win next week at Houston, and we'll probably be favored at home against Kansas.

Some of our fans are clowns.
Sawyer wasn't "HIS" player. Actually a Leach recruit for MSU. Dave put Finn over Sawyer - - that says it all. You can spin it any way you want to - -
This is a ridiculous take. Every player recruited to Baylor by Aranda's staff is his player.
Bearmanly
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He and the staff deserve it.
Jorkel
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I'm glad we are winning and hope we win the next 3 games. I'll be pretty interested to see how people react if we happen to lose the last 3 games though…a lot of fans doing 180s after this 4 game win streak.
boognish_bear
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Jorkel said:

I'm glad we are winning and hope we win the next 3 games. I'll be pretty interested to see how people react if we happen to lose the last 3 games though…a lot of fans doing 180s after this 4 game win streak.


Losing the last 3 would be a real buzzkill.

I'm hoping for a minimum....beat UH and win the bowl game.
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