Report: Dave Aranda to return to Baylor for 2024 season, staff changes expected

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda is there to stay. On Sunday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel provided an update on Aranda’s future with the program.

“Baylor’s Dave Aranda will return to coach the Bears in 2024,” Thamel wrote on X, formally known as Twitter. “He’s 9-16 since winning the Big 12 title, Sugar Bowl and Baylor’s first-ever 12-win season in 2021. Aranda’s return will come with significant changes on and off the field, as there’s expected to be staff changes and an uptick in Baylor’s NIL investment.”

After falling 34-31 to West Virginia on Saturday, Baylor finished the 2023 campaign with a 3-9 record. Baylor finish the season on a five-game losing streak. This year was Aranda’s fourth at the helm of the program. While under Aranda, Baylor is 23-25.

Baylor wants to embrace an era of change while maintaining Aranda. The program took a step in this direction this season by playing the most freshmen in the Big 12, with 24 true and redshirt freshmen playing nearly 4,500 snaps.

More on Dave Aranda’s relationship with Baylor

Aranda isn’t ready to give up on his vision for Baylor football. After the team’s loss to West Virginia, Aranda was asked about his future with the program.

“[Athletic director Mack Rhoades] and I have had a fair amount of talks. I appreciate the talks and I appreciate the honesty in all of it, “Aranda said. “Those talks are going to continue. And I just think, for me, I want to do well.

“I feel like the support at Baylor. I feel it. I feel like this is a great fit for me. I feel like this is something I care about very deeply. So having those talks, I feel them, I get it, and I want to do better. And that’s my goal.”

Aranda has only led Baylor to one winning season. In 2021, the Bears went 12-2, reached No. 5 in the Associated Press rankings, won the Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl. Aranda’s initial deal with the school was for six years, which would last through the 2025 season.

However, after a fantastic 2021 campaign, Aranda agreed to a new contract extension that would keep him in Waco, Texas through 2029. Since Baylor is not a public university, Aranda’s exact contract details are unknown.

Nonetheless, the 47-year-old head coach will look to earn every dollar moving forward. With Aranda off the hot seat, Baylor will begin its preparation for next season.