Baylor’s coaching search starts with a simple question: who can give the program an identity again? After firing Dave Aranda, the answer should be G.J. Kinne.
The Bears have long been at their best when their offense can stress opponents and force them to keep up. Kinne’s track record suggests he can deliver exactly that.
At Incarnate Word in 2022, he guided the program to a 12-2 record and built the most explosive attack in Division I football, with his offense averaging 51.5 points per game. Quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. thrived in that system, throwing for 4,686 yards and 60 touchdowns while adding 11 rushing scores.
Scott also won the Walter Payton Award as the FCS’s top offensive player.
Kinne brought that same style with him to Texas State, and the results followed. The Bobcats reached bowl games in each of his first three seasons and won all three. That kind of offensive development, especially at quarterback, is exactly the sort of lift Baylor needs after losing its way under Aranda.
There’s also a recruiting angle here that matters. Kinne, a native of Mesquite, Texas, has spent much of his coaching life in the state and built connections across the Texas high school football scene.
For Baylor, that’s no small thing. The Bears have to fight for talent against Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and TCU, and a coach who already knows that landscape has a real edge.
The family ties run even deeper. Kinne’s father, Gary Joe, was a standout linebacker for Baylor from 1986-89 and later worked as an assistant coach at the school.
His brother, Landry, also played for the Bears. That background gives Kinne a built-in understanding of what Baylor expects and what the move to Waco would mean.
Of course, there’s a leap of faith involved. Kinne has made his teams competitive, but he has not yet shown that he can consistently beat Power Four opponents. Hiring him would mean betting on what he can become, not on a long resume of Big 12 success.
Even so, Baylor should be willing to make that bet. Kinne is young, offensive-minded and already proven at building winning programs at multiple levels. He brings recruiting ties, family history and a clear offensive vision.
Baylor does not need the flashiest name available. It needs someone who can rebuild the program, recruit Texas and give the offense a direction.
Kinne checks those boxes.
In Other News...
Baylors Next Coaching Decision Just Got Even More Important
Dave Arandas next move is already shaping up to be one of the more interesting subplots in Baylors coaching search. After being fired following a 4-3 start, Aranda is reportedly working toward a return to LSU in an analyst-type role, a reminder of how closely his career remains tied to the program where he once built his reputation as one of the sports top defensive minds.
For Baylor, the timing only adds another layer to an already important decision. Joe Klanderman is guiding the Bears on an interim basis while the school looks for a permanent head coach, and Arandas possible landing spot underscores just how much the Bears are trying to reset after a season that never fully stabilized. The search now carries even more weight, because the next hire will have to define what comes after Aranda, not just replace him. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Just Raised A Bigger Question Than Last Week's Collapse
Iowa States offense has been doing enough to keep the Cyclones in the thick of the Big 12 conversation, and that alone has changed the feel of the league race in a hurry. Colorado finally found its first conference win, Baylor steadied itself after a coaching change with a significant victory, and the conference suddenly looks a lot less predictable than it did a week ago.
For Baylor, the timing matters because the Bears are trying to turn one strong response into something more durable while the rest of the league keeps shifting around them. Oklahoma States defensive issues only add to the uncertainty, and the next stretch will tell whether Baylors bounce-back was a one-off or the start of a real climb in a conference that is already forcing new questions every Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Special Teams Just Earned A New Reason For National Respect
Palmer Williams has given Baylors special teams a national spotlight, earning a place on the Ray Guy Award Midseason Watch List as one of the countrys top 63 punters. It is the kind of recognition that reflects both consistency and field-position value, and it comes with Williams sitting atop the Big 12 and ranking third nationally in punting average.
The watch list is only the first checkpoint in the race for college footballs top punting honor, with semifinalists and finalists still to come later in the season. For Baylor, though, Williams inclusion is another sign that the Bears have a legitimate weapon in a phase of the game that can quietly swing close contests and change the tenor of a Saturday. [Read more 🡒]