Baylor fires coach Dave Aranda after third loss of season

Baylor has fired head coach Dave Aranda after a 25-24 road loss to Kansas on Saturday, the second straight defeat and third of the season for the Bears. The school announced the decision Sunday afternoon, ending Aranda's tenure after seven seasons in Waco, Texas. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will take over as interim coach.

Aranda took over the Bears ahead of the 2020 season. His first team went 2-7 in a year disrupted by COVID-19, and the program improved sharply in 2021. That season Aranda led Baylor to a 12-2 record and a Sugar Bowl victory over a 10-win Ole Miss team. The Bears finished No. 5 in the final AP Top 25 Poll, one of the best results in the program's recent history. Aranda finishes his time at Baylor with a 40-40 overall record as head coach, a mark that reflects both the early struggles and the peak of 2021.

In a statement, Baylor Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug McNamee praised Aranda both as a person and as a coach. «Anyone who knows Dave Aranda understands what a genuine and honorable person he is and how much he deeply cares for his players, staff and this University,» McNamee wrote. He described Aranda as «a gifted coach and a brilliant football mind whose leadership brought some of our best Baylor football memories.» McNamee added that «while this is a difficult moment, we believe a change in leadership is necessary at this time for our program,» and said the university would be «forever thankful» to Aranda and his family.

Aranda signed a contract extension in 2022 that ran through the 2029 season. His firing triggers a buyout package of around $12 million, according to Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger. The 50-year-old coach's dismissal comes in a season of frequent change at the top of college football programs. Aranda is the third Power Four coach fired during the current season. Maryland dismissed Mike Locksley earlier in the same week, and NC State parted ways with Dave Doeren after the Wolfpack lost to Stanford on October 23.

The 2026 season began with a 17-16 loss to Auburn in Atlanta, after which Baylor won four straight games before consecutive losses to TCU at home and Kansas on the road. The three defeats this season have been decided by a combined 13 points, a margin that kept the Bears in each game but did not produce the wins needed to keep the program on track. The Kansas result left Baylor's administration, according to the reporting, having seen enough to make a change.

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Caroline Mercer

World News Correspondent

Caroline Mercer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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