Five years ago Dave Aranda had just finished his second season as head coach at Baylor, leading the Bears to a 12-2 campaign and a Big 12 Championship in 2021. The future looked bright in Waco with Aranda, a first-time head coach, filling the shoes of Matt Rhule and finding success early in his tenure. However, things took a turn, and that future that once looked bright quickly turned into mediocrity and disappointment.
Since 2021 the Bears have had just one winning season and an overall record of 22-28. This has put Arnanda squarely on the hot seat heading into the 2026 season, where he must win now. In fact, had it not been for so many other openings at larger and more prominent programs this offseason, Aranda may have lost his job this past offseason.Â
This leaves Aranda with a ton to prove in 2026, as he could be coaching for his job while also trying to get Baylor back to relevancy in the Big 12. The biggest issue for the Bears over the past couple of seasons has actually been the defense, which is a terrible look for a team led by a defensive-minded head coach. In 2023 and 2025, the Bears ranked last and second-to-last, respectively, in the Big 12 in points allowed per game. What hurts most is that the Bears have had some talented and explosive offenses during Aranda’s tenure, but those offenses have seemingly been wasted by poor defensive play.
This season Aranda has decided to take a step back in his defensive role by bringing in Joe Klanderman from Kansas State to serve as defensive coordinator and call the defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears will have a new quarterback who interestingly finds himself in a similar spot as Aranda. Enter DJ Lagway who transferred in from Florida where he had a ton of hype coming into college, and similar to Aranda, had great success early in his career after being thrust into the starting role early in his true freshman season following an injury to the Gators’ original starter Graham Mertz. Last season did not go as planned though, as Lagway dealt with some injury issues and really struggled on the field, including throwing 14 interceptions (2nd most in FBS) on the year and becoming a major punchline in the college football world. The season ultimately resulted in the firing of Billy Napier and Lagway entering the transfer portal.Â
He’ll now head to his home state of Texas, where he’ll try to find his game again in Waco in Jake Spavital’s spread Air Raid offense. Lagway will be expected to throw the ball a ton, but he should also have plenty of opportunities to use his size and athleticism to showcase his dual-threat ability and hopefully live up to his five-star recruit ranking.
Texas Tech and BYU enter the season as the clear top dogs in the Big 12, but there is a large group of teams right behind them that could make a push for the top of the conference. Baylor could be one of those teams with the potential to create some chaos in a conference that has become known for its unpredictability.Â
The combination of head coach Dave Aranda and quarterback DJ Lagway will be one of the more fascinating storylines to follow this season. Both are looking to find success again, and both are likely playing or coaching for their futures. With so much to prove, this will be a pivotal season for both of them and for the Baylor program as a whole. We will learn a lot about where the Bears stand early as they open the season against Auburn in what will be a massive measuring-stick game for the two teams.
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