Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Baylor

Big 12 coach labels Dave Aranda 'just a little weird,' makes suggestion

Danby: Daniel Hager05/26/26DanielHagerOn3

Heading into the 2026 college football season, Baylor‘s Dave Aranda sits on one of the hottest seats in the country.

Aranda led the Bears to a 12-2 record and a Big 12 Championship in 2021, cementing his spot as a successful P4 coach. Since then, however, Baylor has compiled a dreadful 22-28 record over the past four seasons. Coming off a 5-7 season and a missed bowl game, a bounce back season in 2026 will be vital for Aranda’s job security.

The Bears will play a challenging regular season schedule, featuring Big 12 powers such as Texas Tech, BYU, Arizona State, TCU, and Houston. They also open the season in Atlanta against SEC foe Auburn, who they lost to in last season’s opener. Getting Baylor back to the postseason will be a struggle for Aranda, but it might just be needed to secure another year at the helm in Waco.

Anonymous Big 12 coach labels Dave Aranda as ‘just a little weird’

In an anonymous interview for Athlon Magazine, an opposing Big 12 head coach labeled Aranda as ‘just a little weird’. He also suggested that Aranda ‘should just be calling plays the whole time’.

CLICK HERE TO BUY ATHLON’S 2026 MAGAZINE

“I think [head coach] Dave Aranda is the real deal,” the coach said. “Scheme-wise, he’s phenomenal. But he’s just a little weird. Maybe a little socially awkward. But he knows football. There are times on film when that defense looks phenomenal. Certain games last year, they’d look great on film, and then there were certain games when they couldn’t stop the run.

“Against Utah, they were giving up 80-yard runs like it was a cup of water. That’s gonna be their challenge. It’s the consistency. Right now, they’re lacking consistency. Maybe he should just be calling plays the whole time. They go through a lot of coaches on defense, too. When you go through a lot of coaches on your staff, that’s a sign.”

The game the coach was referencing came against Kyle Whittingham‘s No. 13 ranked Utes on Nov. 15. Utah rushed for a whopping 380 yards on 41 rushes in a 55-28 drumming of Baylor, which marked its third loss in its previous four games. The Bears ended the season having lost five of their last six games. The Bears will have to perform much better against quality competition this season, especially with their tough schedule, in order to return to national relevance and make the postseason.