Baylor has turned the page on Dave Aranda, ending his run midway through his seventh season and handing the program to Joe Klanderman on an interim basis.
The decision comes with the Bears at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12, a record that looked much better just a few weeks ago. Baylor opened 4-1 and had positioned itself to be part of the league race, but back-to-back upset losses to TCU and Kansas wiped that momentum away fast.
Aranda leaves with a 40-40 overall record and a 26-32 mark in conference play. His final game came in Saturday’s 25-24 loss at Kansas, a night that started with Baylor in control before it slipped away late.
The Bears carried a 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter, then gave up 15 of the final 18 points. It was Baylor’s first loss to the Jayhawks since 2007.
There was still a chance to leave Lawrence with a win. With 22 seconds left, Baylor lined up for a potential game-winning 45-yard field goal from Rhett Armstrong, but Kansas blocked it.
The Bears did get some standout defensive moments. Baylor finished with five sacks and two interceptions, including Devon Jordan’s 42-yard pick-six.
But the late-game collapse overshadowed the rest, as Kansas piled up 421 total yards and 209 rushing yards. It was the first time this season Baylor allowed an opponent to top 20 points.
The week before, Baylor’s offense went quiet in a 17-6 home loss to TCU in the Revivalry. That defeat dropped Aranda to 1-6 against the Horned Frogs. Baylor held TCU to just 33 rushing yards, but the Bears managed only 310 total yards and couldn’t turn the defensive performance into enough points.
Aranda’s best season came in 2021, when Baylor went 12-2, a program record, won the Big 12 championship and beat Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Since then, the results never reached that level again. Over the next four-plus seasons, Baylor went 24-31 and never made it back to the Big 12 title game.
The Bears finished 6-7 in 2022 and 3-9 in 2023, putting Aranda under more pressure just two years after the championship run. An 8-5 finish in 2024 eased things somewhat, but Baylor slipped back to 5-7 last season. That gave Aranda four losing seasons in six years, and he never produced back-to-back winning seasons.
Klanderman now inherits the team with five games left and bowl eligibility still within reach. Baylor needs two more wins to get there.
He joined the program in December after six seasons as Kansas State’s defensive coordinator, and he was part of the Wildcats’ Big 12 championship team in 2022. Baylor’s defense under his watch held each of the first six opponents to 20 points or fewer this season.
His first game as interim head coach comes on a short week. Baylor heads to UCF on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
In Other News...
Kansas Gets An Early Duke Test Bill Self Clearly Wanted
Bill Self did not have to wait long for another measuring stick after Kansas dropped an 89-83 decision to No. 11 Louisville at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks now turn right around for a preseason matchup with No. 2 Duke, a game that gives Kansas another high-end challenge and, just as importantly, a chance to get a clearer read on where this team stands before the games start counting for real.
Self has talked about the value of the home-and-home setup, especially because it comes without the pressure of a conference result hanging over it. Duke has looked sharp in exhibition play, while Kansas is trying to carry the lessons from Louisville into its official season opener against Fordham. For a veteran coach trying to sort out what works and what still needs fixing, this is the kind of early test he clearly wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Finally Got The Breakthrough Win Fans Desperately Needed
A long wait finally ended in Lawrence on Saturday, and Kansas got the kind of result that can reset a season. The Jayhawks edged Baylor 25-24 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, snapping a losing streak in the series that stretched back to 2007 while also landing their first Big 12 win of the year. It was the sort of game that gave the home crowd plenty to hold onto, with Dylan Edwards grinding out 156 rushing yards and Carson Bruhn adding five catches, including the first touchdown of his career.
The finish carried the kind of tension Kansas fans have been craving, with Isaiah Marshall powering in the winning touchdown run and Blake Herold turning the final minute into a pressure-packed stand by blocking a 45-yard field goal attempt. For a team looking for something to build on, the breakthrough mattered almost as much as the points on the board. It was a reminder that in a season where margins had been tight, Kansas finally found the last play it had been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Let A Wild Finish Turn Into One Brutal Collapse
For much of Saturday, Baylor looked positioned to keep its grip on a matchup that had become increasingly one-sided, but Kansas kept hanging around long enough to turn homecoming into something far louder than a celebration of the past. The Jayhawks leaned on a strong night from punter Matthew Gill, stayed patient with the offense and found a way to survive a game full of momentum swings and officiating complaints before the fourth-quarter finish took over.
Kansas erased an 11-point deficit in the final period and then slammed the door with a game-winning field goal block, turning a wild finish into a result that will stick with both sides for a while. Beyond the score, it also ended a 14-game losing streak against Baylor, which gives the Jayhawks a rare bit of history to carry forward even as the details of how they pulled it off deserve a closer look. [Read more 🡒]