Baylor announces head coach Dave Aranda will return for 2026 season

Baylor is sticking with Dave Aranda. The university announced on Friday that Aranda will return as head football coach for the 2026 season, ending weeks of speculation about his future amid program uncertainty and administrative turnover. 

The decision was made public in a detailed statement from Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone. She emphasized stability, alignment with the university’s mission and long-term strategic priorities.

Livingstone said the university conducted a “comprehensive review” of the football program and its leadership, marked by “prayerful consideration” and direct conversations. Ultimately, Baylor chose continuity with Aranda.

“After careful evaluation and consideration, we have decided to retain Coach Dave Aranda as the leader of our football program,” Livingstone wrote. “We recognize this decision will generate strong opinions. … We are not complacent, and we are not settling for mediocrity.”

Moreover, she outlined three primary factors behind the decision — ensuring stability while Baylor searches for a new athletics director, protecting the current locker room and a highly ranked recruiting class and practicing responsible financial stewardship at a time when coaching turnover is skyrocketing nationwide. 

Additionally, Aranda’s buyout, combined with looming changes tied to revenue-sharing and NIL restructuring, made an abrupt move increasingly difficult to justify, even as other programs throughout the nation go through similar situations. 

Meanwhile, Aranda’s tenure has produced both significant highs and steep lows. Hired in 2020 after helping LSU capture a national championship as Ed Orgeron’s defensive coordinator, Aranda guided Baylor to a 12-win season, a Big 12 title and a Sugar Bowl victory in 2021. 

But the Bears have not returned to those heights. He enters the final stretch of the 2025 season with a 36-35 overall record (24-28 in Big 12 play) and a current 5-5 mark. Baylor needs one win in its final two games — at Arizona and home against Houston — to clinch bowl eligibility.

Despite the frustrations around recent results, Livingstone stressed that players continue to “respect and love playing for Coach Aranda,” adding that he “aligns with Baylor’s Christian mission” and remains a strong university ambassador.

The announcement also comes during institutional upheaval following athletic director Mack Rhoades’ resignation last week. Rhoades stepped down amid a university investigation into allegations unrelated to Title IX or interactions with student-athletes. Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will serve as co-interim ADs while Baylor conducts a national search.

Alas, Livingstone closed her message by urging unity among students, alumni and fans, pushing for full-throated support of the program during a pivotal transition.

“Your support — emotional, spiritual and financial — matters tremendously,” she wrote. “Our student-athletes deserve a program that makes you proud, and we remain committed to building a team that competes for championships and reflects Baylor’s values.”

With Aranda officially returning and a new athletic director soon to follow, Baylor is turning the page toward a defining stretch for the program’s future. His success, or lack thereof, will determine where the Bears go from here.