Joe Klanderman didn’t waste time laying out what he wants Baylor to become under his watch as the team’s interim coach. In his first media availability on Monday, he said his job now comes down to three things: bring energy, steady the program for what comes next, and keep the Bears aligned on the field.
Klanderman said the move to Waco was not something he took lightly. He explained that he felt “called to be here” after leaving Kansas State, where he had the routine, the comfort and the relationships that made staying easy. Instead, he said he wanted to step outside that circle and grow, and that Baylor presented the right chance at the right time.
“.... But I just felt like I was called to be here.
I didn't have to leave Kansas State. I didn't have to leave the comfort that I was in.
I had a routine. I had friends.
I had all the things that everybody craves. And I just felt like I needed to get out of that circle somehow.
"I needed to get uncomfortable, and I needed to grow. And when this opportunity presented itself through coach Aranda, just something inside of me felt like this was right, to be here in Waco, to be at Baylor.
And here we are today. So crazy how things work out.
So I wish him the best moving forward, because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him....”
He also described the reaction inside the program after the news broke, saying the team met yesterday and the atmosphere was immediate and tense. Klanderman said there was no long runway leading into it, just a sudden shift once everyone was together in the team meeting room.
“It wasn't a lot of lead-in time. The announcement came out, and we were in the team meeting room suddenly.
And I think that everybody at that time was still a little bit, I don't know. I don't want to use the word shaken, because I don't know if that's accurate.
But just, you know, it was intense.”
From there, Klanderman said his first priority is to give the program a jolt. He told Doug and Javon that he wants to bring energy to the players, the staff, the fan base and the alumni, and he wants Baylor to be open and accessible moving forward.
“Number one is I was going to try to provide a jolt of energy that I think this program desperately needs. I think the players need it.
I think the staff needs it. I think the fan base needs it.
I think the alumni need it. And I want to try to provide that.
"I want to try to be that spark in any way that I can, you know, through just who I am. I'm not going to be anything that I'm not.
I'm always going to be very honest with you guys. I want to let you guys know up front that I want you guys to get what you want out of this program.
"And we're going to make ourselves accessible. We're going to make our staff accessible.
We're going to make our players accessible, because this is Waco's team. This is Central Texas's team, and I want people to know about what's going on here.
So I think that we're taking steps in that direction already, trying to provide a jolt of energy. ”
Klanderman then turned to the future, saying he wants to help secure what Baylor has ahead of it. He noted there is still a lot of football left this season and said every preseason goal remains in front of the Bears. At the same time, he acknowledged what usually follows a coaching change in college football and said he wants to protect the program from that fallout.
“Number two is I wanted to try to secure. There's a lot of work to be done this season, and we have goals this season, and heck, half the season is still left.
And every goal that we had set in the preseason is still in front of us right now. And so we're going to work and attack every game, and we're going to move forward.
"But I also understand the nature of college football, and when something like this goes down, you better believe the sharks are circling. And so I want to try to secure for the future what could be a heck of a football team coming back in 2027. And so I want to try to get, A, stronger relationships built, B, you know, agreements in place or whatever to try to help this football team be in a stronger position next year, as I know that it can be."
Klanderman’s final point was about football itself, and specifically the kind of balance he wants Baylor to find. He said his version of complementary football is not just about every unit playing well at the same time. Instead, it’s about the rest of the team lifting up whichever phase is struggling so nobody has to carry everything alone.
“And then third, I want to try to find some measure of complementary football so that we can win some dang games around here. And, you know, I think the definition of complementary football around here has been misinterpreted in my mind.
"You know, we kind of always define complementary football as the defense is going to play really good, and the offense is going to play really good, and we're going to kick the ball really good. It doesn't work like that. You know, sometimes one of those phases is struggling, and complementary football is how can the other phases pick that phase up.
"And, you know, the measure of a great team is that it's not the absence of pressure. It's, you know, that no one person or one unit or one anything has to bear that pressure alone.
It's, you know, how can we balance that out through everybody and throughout the organization, and how can I take on as much of that through myself so that the players can go out there and play free, and that's my goal. So those are the three things that I promised.
Those are the three things that I intend to deliver, and I'm excited about it.”
That message fits what Baylor’s defense has done this season. Klanderman’s group has held every opponent except Kansas under 20 points, with an average of 16 points allowed, and has already more than doubled last season’s quarterback sack total, going from 12 to 27. The Bears are also on pace to improve across the other major defensive categories from a year ago.
Even in the recent Kansas game, Klanderman’s point about balance showed up clearly. The Jayhawks ran 20 more plays than Baylor, a workload that put extra pressure on the defense to absorb the difference and keep the game from tilting further.
In Other News...
Baylors UCF Prep Just Got More Complicated Than It Looked
UCFs latest availability report adds another layer to Baylors preparation for Saturday, with quarterback Keyone Jenkins cleared to start after going through concussion protocol. For a Bears defense already trying to get ready for a different look on the other side, that matters. It means Baylor has to account for a healthy starting quarterback while also tracking a roster that is still being shuffled around elsewhere.
The Knights will be without starting safety Demari Henderson and cornerback DJ Bell, and that leaves some uncertainty on the back end even as the offense gets a potential boost. Up front, Jacob Maiava and Owen Spell could be back, while Tyler Gibson is out, and other names including Duane Thomas Jr. and Caleb Rollerson are still sitting in the probable-or-questionable range. For Baylor, the picture is clear enough to know this wont be a clean opponent-prep week, but not clear enough to know exactly what UCF will look like when the game kicks off. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Suddenly Enters The Lincoln Riley Coaching Carousel Talk
Lincoln Rileys name has quickly slipped into the discussion around Baylors opening as the coaching carousel starts to spin again, with USCs recent loss and uneven play putting fresh attention on his long-term future in Los Angeles. The chatter has also widened beyond Waco, with TCU mentioned as another possible Big 12 landing spot if Riley ever decides a change is needed, a reminder of how fast speculation can build when a high-profile program stumbles.
For Baylor, the connection is mostly about the kind of coach the program could dream about if the right opportunity ever opened up. Riley has long been viewed as one of the sports most recognizable offensive minds, and insiders have pointed to previous interest as part of the reason his name keeps surfacing in Big 12 conversations. The immediate answer may come from USCs side, where the upcoming Ohio State game looms large and could shape how secure Riley feels in his current job. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Just Entered A Painful New Chapter After Week 8
Week 8 changed the Big 12 picture in a hurry, and Baylor was one of the leagues biggest storylines. The conference continues to pack in enough drama to reshape the standings almost every Saturday, with six Big 12 teams now sitting in the AP Top 25 and Utah still the leagues only unbeaten team. Around the league, Cincinnati, UCF and Arizona picked up notable wins, while Colorado and Iowa State left the weekend with more questions than answers.
For Baylor, though, the latest turn is far more consequential than a bad result or a missed opportunity. The Bears moved into a new phase after parting ways with Dave Aranda, a decision that underscores just how sharply the season has turned. In a conference where the margin between progress and panic can disappear quickly, Baylor now has to sort through what comes next while the rest of the Big 12 keeps moving ahead. [Read more 🡒]