Big 12 media days are currently taking place, and that is a good sign that the college football season is close. It feels like the season just ended yesterday, but we are somehow only a month and a half away from the season starting. This new season will feature a lot of changes, but the game has been changing a lot these past few years. One big change has been NIL. Teams can now pay players, and Baylor football head coach Dave Aranda touched on that on Wednesday. The Bears head coach noted that it is helping his team with recruiting.

NIL has been a huge tool for some of the bigger schools in college football, and Dave Aranda thinks that it has helped Baylor football with recruiting lately. The Bears currently have 15 commits in their 2025 class, and it ranks #43 nationally. Some of the bigger schools are seeing bigger effects from NIL, but Aranda still credits NIL for some success.

“We're paying players,” Aranda said when he was asked about what has helped with Baylor's recent recruiting success, according to a tweet from Craig Smoak.

Baylor football currently has three four-star commits and 12 three-star commits in their 2025 class. They have a lot of work to do to catch up to top teams in the country, and also the tops teams in the Big 12. Obviously, they want to celebrate the momentum that they have, but there is still work to be done as they have the eighth best class in the conference out of 16 teams. TCU has the best class in the conference, and it is 18th in the country. The Big 12 could be falling behind a bit.

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Dave Aranda and Baylor need to have a big season 

Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Baylor Bears at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dave Aranda has been the head coach for the Baylor football team for four years now, and his career with the Bears has been a unique one. Things didn't get off to a good start in his first season, but it was the COVID year, and there were a lot of weird things that happened and there were a lot of good teams that struggled. The Bears went 2-7.

Then, in 2021, Aranda and Baylor pulled off an incredible turnaround season as they ended up winning the Big 12 and winning the Sugar Bowl as they finished with a 12-2 record. It was an incredible coaching job from Aranda, but things have only gone downhill since.

Baylor took a big step back in 2022 as they went 6-7 and failed to win a bowl game, and then last season was disastrous as the team finished with a 3-9 record. It doesn't matter how good the 2021 season was, Dave Aranda needs to have a good year this season or he is going to be in big trouble.