Former quarterback Griffin says he would '100%' take Baylor's vacant head coach job

After the head coach job at US college football team the Baylor Bears fell vacant, the team's former star quarterback Robert Griffin III has expressed interest in taking the role. On the 'Dan Patrick Show' he said that if presented the opportunity, he would '100%' take the job.

Griffin said he has already spoken with Baylor athletic director Doug McNamee. In his words, McNamee knows what it looks like to win at Baylor and how you have to win at Baylor and recruit to Baylor to make those things happen.

Griffin said that if Baylor wants to get back to winning and have a university that is not just respectable on the football field but one the fans can be proud of, it needs people who know what it looks like to win at Baylor.

McNamee and his staff will conduct an extensive search to find Dave Aranda's replacement. It is not yet known whether they would want a familiar face in the building, let alone Griffin himself, among their candidates.

Griffin remains the only Heisman Trophy winner in Baylor history. He won the honour in his senior year in 2011, which still gives him a special place in the university's football history.

Over four years at Baylor, Griffin's team went 25-21. In his Heisman-winning season the Bears went 10-3 and won the Alamo Bowl. The Washington Redskins then took him as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Griffin, however, has never coached at any level. Let alone a Division I head coach, he has never coached any team at all.

After his NFL playing career ended in 2020, Griffin moved into the media. He joined ESPN first and later FOX, working as an analyst covering both the NFL and college football.

Right after Griffin's playing career ended, Dave Aranda was hired by Baylor as head coach in 2020. He was a first-time head coach, having spent four seasons at LSU as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator before joining the Bears.

After a 2-7 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Baylor went 12-2 in 2021, the most wins in school history. Aranda was unable to follow that up in the coming years.

This season Baylor started 4-1 and looked set to compete for a playoff spot. Back-to-back losses to TCU and Kansas have left the Bears 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12.

Following those results, Baylor parted ways with Aranda. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.