Athlon Sports: Baylor's Dave Aranda ranked No. 10 coach in Big 12

Baylor’s Dave Aranda will be the only first-year head coach in the Big 12 for the 2020 football season. That reason alone is why he is ranked dead last in coaching rankings according to Athlon Sports.

It’s an overall justified opinion as the accolades for the head coaches around the conference pile pretty high either at their current or previous programs. At least their case as head coaches. 

Aranda’s pedigree as a defensive coordinator comes naturally into play, but of the 10 head coaches in the Big 12, he’s the only to never record a single victory as the head coach. The nine other coaches in the league have won at least 10 games once in their coaching careers and seven have won a conference championship. 

Baylor Athletics

Dave Aranda was hired by Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades in January after the departure of Matt Rhule to the NFL.

The key accomplishments on Aranda’s resume are impressive, however, and why he should move up the food chain quickly if he can produce in the win column this fall.  

As the defensive coordinator in 2012 at Utah State, Aranda’s defense finished ranked top 15 nationally in points per game (15.4 ppg), rushing defense (113.8 ypg), pass efficiency defense and total defense (322.1 ypg). 

In his first season at Wisconsin in 2013, Aranda’s defense finished top 20 in all four major defensive categories including scoring defense (6th), total defense (7th), rushing defense (5th) and passing defense (17th). In his three seasons with the Badgers, his defense ranked first nationally in total defense, second in scoring defense, third in pass defense and fourth in run defense. His final season with the Badgers his defense came in first in scoring defense, allowing just 13.1 points per game.

In his final stop before arriving at Baylor, Aranda’s LSU defenses ranked among the top 32 in the country in all four of his seasons and led LSU to an SEC Championship and ultimately the National Championship in 2019. His 2019 defense finished No. 32 overall, but was No. 31 in scoring defense (21.9), No. 21 in rushing defense (120.8), No. 20 in sacks (37.0), No. 23 in tackles for loss (96.0), No. 5 in interceptions (17) and No. 1 in passes defended (94).

With 10 seasons as a defensive coordinator under his belt, Aranda has produced six top 15 defenses in yards per game including four in the top 10.

Here is what Athlon Sports had to say about their ranking:

10. Dave Aranda, Baylor
Aranda ranks No. 10 among Big 12 coaches, but don’t expect him to remain here for long. It’s also a statement to the league’s depth when Aranda is at No. 10 for 2020. The California native has been a successful defensive coordinator at a couple of stops since 2010. After a two-year stint at Hawaii, Aranda called the plays at Utah State (2012) for a season, followed by a three-year run at Wisconsin. He was hired at LSU prior to the 2016 campaign and spent four seasons in Baton Rouge. Under Aranda’s direction, the Tigers never allowed more than 21.9 points a game in a single year. Additionally, the defense finished fourth or higher within the SEC in fewest yards per play allowed in three of his four seasons. Aranda is one of the top hires for the 2020 coaching carousel, but this year also marks the first time he’s been a head coach at any level.

Athlon Sports ranking of Big 12 Coaches
10. Dave Aranda, Baylor
9. Matt Wells, Texas Tech
8. Les Miles, Kansas
7. Neal Brown, West Virginia
6. Chris Klieman, Kansas State
5. Tom Herman, Texas
4. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
3. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
2. Gary Patterson, TCU
1. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma