By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
“We have spent more money on the defense this year than any year previously,” head coach Dave Aranda said after the Bears’ first spring practice Tuesday.
Baylor outranked only one Big 12 team defensively in 2025. Despite boasting the heaviest defensive line in conference, the Bears sat at the bottom of the conference in total sacks.
The Bears finished the season knowing that a change on defense needed to come.
The change began with Aranda no longer calling defensive plays, instead stepping into more of a managerial role. In his stead, Baylor hired former Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman to captain the defense.
Klanderman built the Wildcats into one of the most formidable defenses in the conference. The former FCS national champion made his defense a top-three unit in the conference for scoring defense all five years of his tenure.
Now at Baylor, Klanderman is seeking to find similar success in leading a defensive turnaround.
“You got to crawl before you walk,” Klanderman said. “So we’re crawling right now. The big things right now, before we get a whole bunch of defensive schematics things, is we’re trying to just run to the ball.”
The Bears are seeking to develop more aggressive tackles throughout the spring practice season. The biggest inhibitor on the defensive end in 2025 was a lack of speed in 1-on-1 scenarios. This year, Klanderman is having none of it.
“I’m trying to get these guys playing harder,” Klanderman said. “We’re trying to get these guys off blocks. We’re trying to get them on better pursuit angles on tackling, so that’s kinda where we’re at right now.
Both returning and fresh faces are excited to get behind Klanderman and make the most of the spring season. The Bears understand they face a tall climb ahead of them but believe their new work will pay off.
“I’m really happy to be back out there with my teammates,” redshirt senior safety Devin Turner said. “I never realized how much I cared about football until it got taken away, but I’m really happy to be back out there.”
Turner, a former Northwestern secondary player, did not see the field last season following a non-contact injury in the last practice of the spring. Turner will be looking to make his green and gold debut following what he expects to be a productive spring.
“When I heard the news my season was done, I was very distraught,” Turner said. “I was kind of hurt by it … I looked to the Lord and was like, ‘Why did this happen?’ I needed to be reminded that this was all a part of his plan.”
Both players and coaches alike noted how the defensive scheme this spring has shifted from what Baylor fans saw on the field last season. The defensive line is one of many position groups that is adjusting by reportedly changing the way they attack the gaps.
“It’s very, very different,” Turner said. “It’s a good different though. A lot of things that we’re doing schematically now, we’re all working together on.”
The Bears’ defense will show off its spring development at Fan Fest on April 25 at McLane Stadium.
