Despite clamoring from its fanbase to fire Dave Aranda, Baylor will be keeping its head football coach in place past this season.

A day after the resignation of athletic director Mack Rhoades, Baylor president Linda A. Livingstone released a statement on the football program, in which she confirmed that Aranda, who is 36-35 in six seasons, will remain the Bears' head coach.

“Over the past several weeks, Baylor University has undertaken a comprehensive review of our athletics leadership and the future of our football program,” the statement reads. “This process has been marked by prayerful consideration, candid conversations and a deep commitment to our Christian mission and values.

“After careful evaluation and consideration, we have decided to retain Coach Dave Aranda as the leader of our football program. We recognize this decision will generate strong opinions. Let me be clear: Baylor expects excellence, accountability and competitiveness at the highest level. We are not complacent, and we are not settling for mediocrity.”

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The decision, according to Livingstone, was made to keep some “stability” as the university hires a new athletic director. Additionally, Baylor is among the latest schools to keep their embattled head coach and avoid paying millions for a buyout in order to further invest in the program.

In 2021, Aranda's second season in Waco, the Bears went 12-2 and won the Big 12 Conference and the Sugar Bowl. Since then, however, Baylor has gone 22-26 overall and 15-19 in conference play. As it stands — Baylor is currently 5-5 with games vs. Arizona and Houston left — Aranda has recorded just two winning seasons.

There was considerable hope that Baylor would build on its 8-5 record from 2024, the first year in which Aranda, a highly sought-after defensive coordinator before becoming a head coach, called the defensive plays. However, the Bears' defense has not performed well this season; in six of its 10 games, Baylor has allowed 34 or more points, and in those six games, including this past weekend's 55-28 home defeat vs. Utah, Baylor has a 2-4 record.

Baylor will need to beat either Arizona on the road or Houston at home to become bowl-eligible and have a shot at a winning record this season. The game vs. the Wildcats is set to kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday.