Dave Aranda announces veteran LB Garmon Randolph is suspended for off-the-field incident

Baylor head football coach Dave Aranda addressed the media on Tuesday as his student-athletes near the end of their spring semester, and revealed some shocking news regarding one of his biggest contributors on the defensive side of the ball.

Aranda announced Tuesday that linebacker Garmon Randolph has been suspended for an off-field incident, which he did not disclose according Central Texas 6 reporter Kurtis Quillin. Aranda also said that he hopes that Randolph can return to the team for the season.

Aranda would not elaborate on what resulted in the suspension, but Sic’Em 365 reported that Randolph was arrested for DWI over the weekend.

Randolph started 11 at the JACK position for Baylor last season, recording 43 tackles, with seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and four QB hurries.

More on Garmon Randolph

Garmon Randolph was a three-star high school prospect out of Jefferson high school in Georgia, where he was ranked the No. 673 overall player and the No. 62 EDGE in the 2019 recruiting class according to On3’s Industry Ranking,  a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He chose Baylor over schools like Alabama, LSU, Michigan, and Penn State, redshirting in his freshman season after making two game appearances and recording one tackle. He made a small leap in his redshirt freshman season appearing in five games, recording his first career sack along with two tackles on the season.

He took a bigger leap in 2021 before his breakout season last year for the Bears, appearing in 11 games and making four starts. His season was highlighted by a breakout performance versus Iowa State where he earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors after recording six tackles, one tackle for loss, and his career-first interception.

Last season, Randolph’s 4.5 sacks tied a team lead, and if he were to miss any time for the Bears next season it would be a significant loss for their defense. Baylor finished No. 5 in the Big 12 last season in points allowed holding opponents to 26.6 points per game and ranked No. 4 in the conference in yards allowed per game with 370.3.

But the Bears did struggle in generating pressure on the quarterback, tied for the second-worst in the conference in sacks last season. And the last thing their struggling pass rush needs heading into the 2023 season is their best pass rusher missing time.