Baylor fires head coach Dave Aranda after one-point loss to Kansas
Baylor Bears have fired head coach Dave Aranda in US college football. Baylor officially announced his departure on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, Baylor lost 25-24 on the road to Kansas. It was the team's second straight loss and its third defeat of the season.
Aranda was in his seventh season in charge of Baylor. He took over as head coach in Waco, Texas, ahead of the 2020 season. In his first season, plagued by COVID, his team went 2-7.
In the 2021 season under Aranda, Baylor recorded 12-2, including a Sugar Bowl victory over a 10-win Ole Miss team. Baylor finished that season as the No. 5 team in the country in the final AP Top 25 Poll.
Baylor Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug McNamee wrote in a statement that anyone who knows Dave Aranda understands what a genuine and honourable person he is and how much he cares for his players, staff and the university. Describing Aranda as a gifted coach and brilliant football mind whose leadership brought some of Baylor's best football memories, he said the university believed a change in leadership was necessary at this time for the programme, and thanked Aranda and his family for their time at Baylor.
Aranda signed a contract extension in 2022 that ran through the end of the 2029 season. His firing now triggers a buyout package of around $12 million, according to Yahoo's Ross Dellenger.
Baylor began the 2026 campaign with a 17-16 loss to Auburn in Atlanta before winning four straight games, but after consecutive losses to TCU at home and Kansas on the road the administration decided to act. Baylor's three losses this season have come by a combined 13 points.
Baylor defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will take over as interim head coach.
Aranda is now the third Power Four coach to be fired during the current college football season. Maryland fired head coach Mike Locksley earlier in the week, while NC State parted ways with Dave Doeren following the Wolfpack's loss to Stanford on October 23. Aranda finishes his time at Baylor with a 40-40 overall record as head coach.
