Update >>Baylor has now announced the hire of Dave Aranda to lead their program.
The release reads, in part:
"Dave is a special person who loves football and his student-athletes, is highly intellectual, and is a great mission fit for both Baylor Athletics and the University at large. Along with demonstrated success on the field, Dave shares in our vision of Preparing Champions for Life and our collective commitment to live by One Standard and in One Accord. We look forward to him carrying those values forward as the next leader of our football program," athletic director Mack Rhoades shared.
In a search that has progressed quickly over the past few days, Baylor is expected to tab Dave Aranda as their new head coach. Bruce Feldman tweeted the news.
We can now confirm the news.
In our update at Baylor earlier today, we shared Baylor was meeting with Aranda today and that Louisiana Lafayette's Billy Napier and Virginia Tech's Justin Fuente both looked poised to stay at their respective programs after speaking with the Bears about their opening.
Aranda, one of the highest paid assistant coaches in college football and regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the game, got his start at Cal Lu back in 1996. He would go on to GA at Texas Tech before becoming linebackers coach at Houston for one season. He then went back to Cal Lu as DC, then Delta State and Southern Utah before becoming the defensive line coach at Hawaii in 2008 and then being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2010. Since then he's coordinated defenses at Utah State and Wisconsin before leaving for LSU in 2016.
At least on paper, Aranda steps into one of the better jobs that have hit the college market this past off season after Matt Rhule's three-year rebuild culminated in an 11-3 record this fall.
Baylor's last few hires (Matt Rhule and Art Briles), both came from the offensive side of the ball. To find the last defensive minded guy, you'd have to go back to Kevin Steele who led the program from 1999-2002.
Aranda's departure at LSU means the defending national champs will be tasked with filling two coordinator roles, as passing game coordinator Joe Brady also recently left for the offensive coordinator job with the Panthers. Lots of eyes will be on who Ed Orgeron brings in for two of the premier coordinator openings in college football now.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.