Robert Griffin III made his stance plain Monday: if Baylor opens the door, he wants the job.
The former Bears quarterback and 2011 Heisman Trophy winner said on The Dan Patrick Show that he would be interested in taking over his alma mater after Baylor fired head coach Dave Aranda on Sunday, one day after a 25-24 loss at Kansas.
“Yes, 100%,” Griffin said when Dan Patrick asked if he wanted the position. He also said Baylor needs “people who know what it looks like to win at Baylor.”
Griffin said he has already talked with Baylor athletic director Doug McNamee, who took over after replacing Mack Rhoades last December and made the change after back-to-back losses to TCU and Kansas dropped the Bears to 4-3.
Aranda’s tenure ended with a 40-40 record over seven seasons, along with one winning season after Baylor’s 2021 Big 12 championship. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim coach through 2026.
For Griffin, the push is about more than just a coaching vacancy. Baylor lost Matt Rhule to the Carolina Panthers after the 2019 season, and the Copperas Cove, Texas, native said he wants the next coach to stick around.
“I’m just tired of seeing Baylor be the steppingstone or the stepchild to all these other teams,” Griffin said. “We should be back on top.”
Griffin, who threw for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2011 to become Baylor’s only Heisman winner, has never coached at the college or NFL level. Still, he argued that lack of experience shouldn’t automatically rule someone out.
“Being a CEO type of coach in college football is completely different,” Griffin said. “You don’t have to have experience coaching at the highest level to be successful.”
That idea has already been tested by former NFL stars at the FCS level, with mixed outcomes. Deion Sanders went 27-6 at Jackson State before leaving for Colorado.
Michael Vick had no formal coaching experience when Norfolk State hired him in December 2024, and the Spartans went 1-11 in his first season. Baylor, though, would be asking a first-time coach to win in the Big 12 while also dealing with Aranda’s reported $12 million buyout.
Griffin also floated three other names.
His first choice beyond himself was Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, whom he praised as “a top-notch guy, a top-notch coach and knows how to win.”
Danielson entered 2026 with a 24-8 record and a 2024 College Football Playoff berth, and he signed an extension through 2030 in April.
Griffin also pointed to UTSA coach Jeff Traylor, calling him “a great option.” Traylor, a former Texas assistant, is 53-26 in his first six seasons in San Antonio, the most wins by a coach in program history.
Then there was USC coach Lincoln Riley, whom Griffin labeled “a dark horse.” Riley carries a reported buyout of roughly $70 million, and USC fell to 6-2 after a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday.
“I don’t think USC wants to pay Lincoln Riley what it has to pay him for him to leave without him having another opportunity that would offset that,” Griffin said.
“If Baylor wants to get back to winning and have a university that isn't just respectable on the football field, but one the fans can be proud of, they need people who know what it looks like to win at Baylor."
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