By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Baylor fired head coach Dave Aranda Sunday morning after seven years at the helm in Waco.
Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim head coach after turning Baylor’s defense into one of the country’s top units, allowing just 16.1 points per game.
The Bears went 40-40 with Aranda at the helm, posting two seasons with records over .500.
“While this is a difficult moment, we believe a change in leadership is necessary at this time for our program,” Athletic Director Doug McNamee said in an email. “We will forever be thankful to Dave and his family for their time here at Baylor, and we wish them well.”
The tipping point came after Baylor’s back-to-back losses to TCU and Kansas.
The Bears started the 2026 season 4-1 with a four-game win streak heading into the bye week before the matchup against the Horned Frogs. The losses dropped them to 4-3 overall and 2-2 against conference opponents.
Their early momentum abruptly stalled against their in-state rivals, scoring six points behind a lackluster offense against the top defense in the Big 12.
Multiple players attributed the stunning loss in front of over 46,000 fans to the team being complacent in the two weeks leading up to the Revivalry matchup.
The team tried to bounce back against Kansas, who entered the game winless in Big 12 play and lost the last 14 meetings with Baylor. Both sides were rather lethargic against the Jayhawks.
The defense allowed over 20 points for the first time this season and gave up a score in four of Kansas’ last five drives. The offense only scored three times and turned the ball over three times in the 25-24 loss.
Aranda’s clock management stuck out toward the end of the loss. Instead of trying to drain the clock between each play, the Bears continued their up-tempo offense to leave Kansas with over two minutes for its game-winning drive.
Baylor still faces a gauntlet to end the season. The Bears will face UCF and Iowa State before playing three straight ranked matchups to cap off the campaign. They will face No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 14 Houston.
This is a developing story. Information will be added as it becomes available.
