Dave Aranda reveals how death of Alex Foster impacted Baylor program

The Baylor Bears are going to be entering the 2025 season with heavy hearts. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Alex Foster passed away this spring after a shooting that took place while he was home in Mississippi.

Unsurprisingly, Alex Foster’s passing has been difficult for the Baylor program. That’s a challenge that head coach Dave Aranda addressed at Big 12 Media Days, admitting just how difficult it has been.

“It’s very hard,” Dave Aranda said. “I think you, or we’ll say me, I know that life is not fair. I think if someone were to ask me that in just passing, I would acknowledge that, but then you know, here’s Alex. He’s just like a gentle giant, such a humble heart. Always wanting to please, always wanting to do right, to do good. Always on the side of encouragement. There’s not really a mean bone in this boy’s body. And then for it to kind of go the way that it went, it gets you mad because it’s not fair.”

Alex Foster was 18 years old at the time of his passing and was entering his second season with the program. He had joined the program after playing his high school football at St. Joseph in Greenville, Mississippi. There, he was a four-star recruit. He also ranked as the No. 392 overall player and No. 37 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

While Alex Foster didn’t play in any games as a true freshman, he had become a member of the team during that time. That’s time when he would have bonded with teammates and coaches. It’s that connection that has made things so difficult now for the Baylor team.

“And I don’t know. I think our whole team feels that. There’s days that are better than others. But then it’s just, the anger to sadness to back and forth. It’s going to be there for a while. So, we have to kind of learn to live with it and move alongside it. We took the team to the funeral and I thought that that was really powerful,” Aranda said. “And I’m glad that we did that. But, I think there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.”

At the time of Alex Foster’s passing, there was an outpouring of support for the Baylor program. That included from the Big 12 itself, which released a statement at the time.

“The Big 12 Conference extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Baylor football student-athlete Alex Foster,” the conference wrote. “We are deeply saddened by his passing and join the entire Baylor community during this time of mourning.”

Dave Aranda led Baylor to an 8-5 record last season. The Bears will look to build on that while mourning Alex Foster. Baylor is also expected to pay tribute to him in multiple ways this season, including walking out with his jersey to open the season.