Baylor is once again fighting to finish with a winning record in what has been another disappointing season under Dave Aranda, but the head coach is not going anywhere.
Baylor announced on Friday that Dave Aranda will return as the school’s head football coach in 2026. The school said there were several factors that went into the decision, one of which was the situation with former athletic director Mack Rhoades.
Rhoades and Baylor parted ways on Thursday, and school officials want the next athletic director to have an opportunity to assess the current state of the football program.
Baylor announces that Dave Aranda will return next season in part because there is no full-time athletic director right now. pic.twitter.com/iK5hAhasOP
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 21, 2025
Rhoades departure comes after the former AD stepped away from Baylor amid reports that he violated the school’s Christian honor code.
Baylor is 5-5 this season with games remaining against Arizona and Houston. The Bears are looking to become bowl eligible for the fourth time in Aranda’s six seasons as head coach.
Aranda was hired by Baylor in 2020 after a successful stint as an assistant at LSU. The Bears went 2-7 in Aranda’s first season but then finished 12-2 in 2021, which had fans hopeful that Aranda could build the program into a national championship contender. Things have not gone well since, however.
Baylor had two straight losing seasons after their impressive year in 2021. They then finished 8-5 last season. Aranda has an overall record of 36-35. He will at least have an opportunity to improve upon that in 2026, though another disappointing year might cost him his job.
