By Bennett Parker | Sports Writer
Baylor is not the biggest spender in the Big 12 when it comes to NIL. Per The NIL Standard, Baylor isn’t a top-50 spender in the country, nor is it a top-10 spender in the Big 12.
It is a tricky subject to navigate, and head coach Dave Aranda notes that money can often translate to results on the field.
Baylor (3-1) has found itself on a three-game win streak as Big 12 play is in full swing. There are multiple aspects of the team that have improved since last season, but penalties have been the glaring issue after four weeks of football.
“We’ve got to be able to reset,” Aranda said. “So the mental will drive the physical. So if something negative were to happen, can you learn from it? Can you drop it? And then can you move on so that one bad play doesn’t become three bad drives or a bad quarter.”
The penalties piled up over the homestand. After only five penalties in the season opener in Atlanta, the Bears have amassed 29 penalties in the three-game span at McLane Stadium.
“I don’t think it’s dirty players or undisciplined players,” Aranda said. “I think we have to be tougher players, in a sense, smarter players.”
Aranda has harped on his team’s toughness throughout the first third of the season, and he attributed the program’s spending as one of the first dominoes to fall to build that mentality.
“That toughness thing,” Aranda said. “We’ve been talking about that since January. And that was all based on, ‘Hey, here’s the money we have to spend.’ I hate bringing up money, but I think that’s where it starts.”
There is no dodging it; money is a part of college football, and it will be the standard for the foreseeable future. Each school has to decide for itself how much it budgets for its athletes.
While Baylor does not top the Big 12 in total spending, it has jumped from its $15 million valuation in 2025.
“You look at the offense in the last two years,” Aranda said. “We spent a lot of money on that offense, right? And we’re spending a lot of money on this defense right now. And so, I think if you just follow the money, you see where things are at.”
That line of thinking mostly holds up around the country. Texas, Oregon and LSU are all spending more than $40 million on their football teams, and all three of those teams are in the AP top 15.
Aranda does recognize that having big pockets is not the only key to success. While Baylor has lagged behind programs it aims to compete with financially, it still has some victories to show, like the Bears’ 12-win 2021 season.
“That doesn’t mean that you can’t play well if you’re not spending,” Aranda said. “And that doesn’t mean that you can’t play poorly if you are spending. I think that’s where you start. Knowing this is what we’re spending and everything else, we’re going to have to be tough.”
Baylor faces Arizona State at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
