Dave Aranda took over as head coach of Baylor football four years ago. His short tenure with the program been a whirlwind and his approach to practice may play a big role.
Aranda does not give his young players an opportunity to develop while giving priority to 1s and 2s.
Matt Rhule left the Bears in a great spot when he left for the NFL. And yet they won just two of nine games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season— which was Aranda’s first year at the helm.
After a slow, unusual start, Aranda led Baylor to a 12-2 season with a Sugar Bowl win over a very talented Ole Miss team in 2021. There was all kinds of buzz around what the team could become.
It was an immediate upward trajectory that came crashing down with a 6-7 season and bowl loss in 2022. The Bears are 3-6 through the first nine games of 2023. Not ideal.
Dave Aranda was considered to be one of the rising superstars in the industry. His recent record and a new story from former tight end Christoph Henle might explain why that is quickly becoming a lost narrative.
Dave Aranda’s approach to practice is bizarre.
Henle played in all nine games as a senior in 2020 and had one catch for four yards on the season. He told ESPN 1660 earlier this week that Aranda and the Baylor staff only give reps to the first and second-string players on the depth chart during practice.
In turn, young players on the roster do not have an opportunity to develop. That lack of development may be the root cause to the Bears’ current struggles.
It goes one step further!
Drake Toll, who hosts a daily show from noon to 2:00 p.m. on ESPN 1660 in Central Texas, broke down how practice operates. Aranda takes an unusual approach to the team period.
From another source:
Team period at practice is where the 1’s run Baylor’s offense and face the 2’s who run opponent’s defense. The same goes for the other side of the ball.
There is no true scout team. 2’s do not run Baylor’s scheme. Half the team stands on the sideline.
— Drake C. Toll
NFL teams run practices with similar structure. However, creates a clear issue on the college football level.
Young athletes don’t get any reps until they are listed first or second on the depth chart. There is no opportunity for them to develop.
To make things worse, if a first-team defensive player gets injured during a game, his replacement spent the entire week running the opponent’s system. He didn’t get any reps in Aranda’s scheme.
Baylor’s approach to practice isn’t working. The Bears are allowing an average of 29.44 points per game. That number gets even higher when you take out the seven-point outing from Long Island.
Maybe it would be in Aranda’s best interest to get all of his players on the field during practice. Maybe.