Baylor coach Dave Aranda is set to return for the 2026 season.
A day after the school announced that athletic director Mack Rhoades had resigned, president Linda Livingstone said Friday that Aranda would be back as the team’s coach.
“We acknowledge the frustrations many of you feel, and we share in them,” Livingston said in a letter announcing the decision to retain Aranda. “Baylor football has experienced both historic highs and challenging seasons under Coach Aranda. While we celebrate the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl victory in 2021, we know this season has not met our shared expectations.
“Please know that our team respects and loves playing for Coach Aranda. I can also attest he aligns with Baylor’s Christian mission and is an incredible ambassador for our university.”
That Big 12 title and Sugar Bowl win Livingstone references came in Aranda’s second season at the school. After a 2-7 season in 2020, Baylor improved by 10 wins to finish 12-2 and beat Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
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Since then, Baylor has won just 22 games with two games to go in the 2025 season. The Bears are currently 5-5 and were 8-5 a season ago after two seasons below .500.
Overall, Aranda is 36-35 in his time at Baylor. The Bears need a win at Arizona on Saturday or against Houston in Week 14 to make a bowl game for a second straight season.
It’s been an up-and-down 2025 for the Bears. Baylor lost 38-24 at home to Auburn in Week 1; the Tigers fired coach Hugh Freeze during the season. A week later, Baylor beat defending ACC champion SMU 48-45 in overtime. However, the Bears have lost three of their last four games and have been blown out by Cincinnati and Utah during that stretch.
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Moving on from Aranda would force Baylor into a search for a new athletic director and a new football coach at the same time. Rhoades took a leave of absence a week ago for personal reasons after an alleged violation of school policy. Thursday, the school said the former College Football Playoff selection committee chair said he would resign.
