When Baylor fired Dave Aranda in late October, Robert Griffin III was the first big name to say publicly that he wanted the job.
While not many took that seriously, two and a half weeks later, the school is expected to sit down with him.
On3’s Pete Nakos reported Friday morning that Baylor is expected to interview Griffin for its head coaching vacancy.
While one of the school's most prominent alumns, Griffin has never coached at any level, college or pro.
Late last month, Griffin appeared on The Dan Patrick Show, where he said he was “100%” interested in the job and confirmed he had already spoken with Baylor vice president and athletic director Doug McNamee.
“If Baylor wants to get back to winning and have a university that isn’t just respectable on the football field, they need people who know what it looks like to win at Baylor,” Griffin shared on the show.
A few days later on Front Office Sports Tonight, he said he was “looking forward to going through that process with Baylor University to have real, concrete conversations.”
“If I was making all the decisions, the decision would have already been made, right?” Griffin said. “It’s about being a CEO and being able to manage not only the pressure, but also building a culture of winning.”
Griffin has also pointed to Deion Sanders at Jackson State, Michael Vick at Norfolk State and DeSean Jackson at Delaware State as coaches who took over programs without prior college or pro coaching experience. Of course the difference being that all three of those jobs were at the FCS level while Baylor is a Power Four job.
Griffin starred at Baylor from 2008 through 2011 under Art Briles. His 2011 team went 10-3, won the Alamo Bowl and produced the only Heisman Trophy winner in school history.
Washington took him #2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, and he was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year that fall. He spent eight seasons in the NFL with Washington, Cleveland and Baltimore. He then moved into media, first with ESPN and now with Fox, covering both the NFL and college football.
Baylor fired Aranda on October 25, the morning after a 25-24 loss at Kansas dropped the Bears to 4-3. Aranda went 40-40 in seven seasons. His best year was 2021, when Baylor went 12-2, won the Big 12 and won the Sugar Bowl.
Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman has taken over as interim head coach and is 2-0 since taking over. Baylor won 41-9 at UCF on October 30, then beat Iowa State 42-31 on homecoming November 7.
The Bears currently sit at 6-3 overall, 4-2 in Big 12 play and bowl eligible.
This Saturday, Baylor gets a big test with a trip to #12 BYU, then closes with Texas Tech at home and a trip to Houston.
An interview is simply that, and it's not an offer. After Griffin made his interest this public, McNamee wouldn't be doing his job if he didn’t talk to the most famous player in program history.
What Griffin brings to that table is also real, though limiting. Few people alive can sell Baylor to recruits, donors and fans the way he can. What he needs to show McNamee is his staff. The CEO model only works if the coordinators and the personnel side are already in place and proven. For any first-time head coach with no coaching background, the first question is going to revolve around who runs the offense, the defense and who is building the roster from day one on and handling things like NIL.
Klanderman will continue to make his own case for the job every Saturday.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.