Pete ThamelESPNNov 26, 2023, 02:43 PM ET1 Minute Read
Baylor coach Dave Aranda will return to coach the Bears in 2024, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The decision came after the culmination of multiple meetings with Baylor officials after a 3-9 season, and there’s a belief in a viable path forward for Aranda and Baylor despite recent results, sources told ESPN.
Aranda’s return will come with significant changes on and off the field, including staff changes, sources told ESPN. The school will also make a commitment for an uptick in Baylor’s NIL investment.
Crucial to Baylor moving forward will be a commitment to help keep a strong core of young players in the program. Baylor played the most freshmen in the Big 12 in 2023, with 24 true and redshirt freshmen playing nearly 4,500 snaps.
There’s a belief that experience can be built on in 2024 and beyond. That talented true freshman core includes cornerback Caden Jenkins, cornerback Carl Williams IV and tailback Dawson Pendergrass.
Aranda is four years into his Baylor tenure and has a 23-25 overall record. His lone winning season — when the Bears went 12-2 in 2021 — is considered the best in school history, as the Bears reached No. 5 in the Associated Press rankings and won the Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl.
Since then, Baylor is 9-16 overall, and the Bears went 2-7 in Big 12 play this season. Baylor was upset by Texas State to open the year, lost a close game to No. 12 Utah in the second week and never found its footing thereafter.
2023-11-26 19:43:00
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