Baylor made a change at the top on Sunday morning after a second straight loss pushed the season into a different kind of territory.
The Bears fell 25-24 at Kansas on Saturday, Oct. 24, when a late Baylor field goal was blocked near the end of regulation. The loss ended Baylor’s 14-game winning streak against the Jayhawks and dropped the Bears to 4-3.
By the next morning, the school had moved on from Dave Aranda. Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Baylor fired the seventh-year head coach and named defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman interim head coach for the rest of the regular season.
Aranda’s Baylor run included the high point every program dreams about: a 12-2 season in 2021, a Big 12 title and a Sugar Bowl victory over Ole Miss, the best season in school history. But the momentum from that peak had long since faded. Saturday’s defeat was Baylor’s second in a row, and the pressure had been mounting after a 5-7 finish in 2025.
Aranda leaves with a 40-40 record in seven seasons, including 26-32 in Big 12 play. Four of his first six seasons ended with losing records.
Klanderman now gets the reins on a short week. He arrived at Baylor from Kansas State this year after seven seasons there, including the last six as defensive coordinator.
Thamel reported the hire on Dec. 11, 2025.
His background also includes a successful run at North Dakota State, where he served as defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2018 and helped the Bison win four FCS national championships.
Baylor’s defense has been one of the team’s steadier parts under Klanderman. Through Week 8, the Bears rank second in the Big 12 in total defense at 301.6 yards allowed per game and third in points allowed at 16.1 per game.
His first game as interim head coach comes Friday against UCF.
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 🡒]