‘Football’s Fun’: Dave Aranda and Co. Explain Why 2026 Will be Different for Baylor

The Bears bought to undergo their pregame and get on the McLane Stadium subject for the primary time of the summer season on Thursday.

Afterwards, Coach Dave Aranda and a number of the designated leaders on the workforce have been pulled apart for interviews and had a couple of issues to say about why this yr has a distinct really feel.

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Culture is on the up

“I think one of the biggest differences of all the differences from maybe the past till now is that football’s fun,” mentioned Coach Aranda. “It’s hot, and we’ve been out here for a minute, and the guys were having fun… where in the past you couldn’t say that.”

Culture is certainly important; champions usually brag extra concerning the workforce relationships than the person expertise. However, tradition is tough to construct when there is so much roster turnover.

“One of the things that we really focused on was not assuming anything… going deeper, peeling back a couple layers,” mentioned Safety Michael Allen. “This summer we did a lot of players-only meetings and really got to know people on a deeper level.”

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Roster constructed aggressively

When requested about switch portal exercise, Aranda defined that Baylor is being far more aggressive out there beneath Athletic Director Doug McNamee than ever earlier than.

“That’s probably been a change; we haven’t been [aggressive]. In the past we saw how everyone else did and where we fit, but this year we are aggressive,” mentioned Aranda.

The aggressiveness is definitely seen, spending about 11.5 million {dollars} within the portal per The NIL Standard, an enormous enhance in comparison with earlier seasons.

Transparency from the top coach

Coach Aranda has made it clear that he needs to be a extra open and clear chief while he is a head coach.

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“To kind of cover up [failure] and kind of go the other way is the opposite of how I would want to be… you have to be intentional about not doing that,” mentioned Aranda.

The gamers have praised him for this as properly; although he may not be as hands-on in apply, his leadership is still noted by the team.

“I feel like my mental process is the most dialed in it’s ever been. And that’s kudos to Aranda and what he’s preached to us, you know, and I think that stuff can help us win,” said veteran Kyler Jordan.

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This article was initially printed on www.si.com/faculty/baylor as ‘Football’s Fun’: Dave Aranda and Co. Explain Why 2026 Will be Different for Baylor.