Aranda to return after Baylor’s bounce-back ’24

• Dave Wilson, ESPN Personnel WriterNov 16, 2024, 10:05 PM ET

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  Dave Wilson is a college football reporter. He formerly worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.Baylor coach Dave

Aranda will return next season, a school spokesman validated Saturday.The new-look Bears

became bowl-eligible Saturday, transferring to 6-4 with a 49-35 triumph at West Virginia, their very first win in Morgantown in 7 tries. After beginning 2-4 and 0-3 in the Big 12, Baylor has actually won 4 straight.Aranda, who was LSU’s protective coordinator

on their 2019 championship game team, won a Big 12 title in his second season as a head coach in 2021 with a 12-2 record and a No. 5 postseason ranking. But after coping 6-7 and 3-9 seasons the past two years, he was firmly on the hot seat.Baylor completed 101st in scoring offense last season at 23.1 points per game, triggering Aranda to replace offending coordinator Jeff Grimes with former Texas State head coach Jake Spavital in hopes of ending up being more explosive.This season, the Bears are balancing 35.1 points and have discovered a breakout star in redshirt freshman running back Bryson Washington, who ended up being the fifth player in Big 12 history to have 4 touchdowns in successive games Saturday, after a big revealing against TCU last week.Aranda likewise took control of defensive playcalling duties from defensive planner Matt Powledge following last season.Aranda’s buyout would have been almost $17 million

, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.