Will Joe Klanderman Finally Fix Baylor’s Defense?

For the Baylor Bears, the issue hasn’t been hard to identify over the past few seasons; it’s been stopping people.

Under Dave Aranda, Baylor has struggled defensively in a way that’s become increasingly difficult to ignore. The Bears allowed 33.3 points per game in 2023, which ranked dead last in the Big 12. That number improved slightly to 26.7 PPG in 2024 (11th in the league), and dipped again to 32.6 PPG in 2025, which ranked 15th in the conference.

Simply put, that’s not going to cut it in the Big 12.

Enter Joe Klanderman.

Now in Waco after a successful run with the Kansas State Wildcats, Klanderman brings a track record that should immediately give Baylor fans hope. His defenses at Kansas State were consistently disciplined, physical, and, most importantly, effective.

Kansas State allowed just 21.0 points per game in 2023, finishing second in the Big 12 behind Texas. That was followed by 23.4 PPG in 2024 (7th) and 26.7 PPG in 2025 (11th). Even in years where the ranking slipped, the Wildcats maintained a level of defensive consistency that Baylor has simply not had.

And that’s the key difference: consistency.

Klanderman’s units weren’t just good one year; they were reliably competitive year over year, built on structure, communication, and execution. That’s exactly what Baylor has been missing as its defense has fluctuated between underwhelming and outright problematic.

Of course, a coordinator alone doesn’t fix everything overnight. Personnel, depth, and buy-in all matter, but Klanderman’s arrival signals a philosophical shift, one that leans back into defensive identity, something that once defined Aranda’s own coaching DNA. Aranda built his reputation as a defensive mind, yet Baylor has struggled to reflect that identity on the field in recent seasons. Bringing in Klanderman is about restoring that edge.

Will it work immediately? That remains to be seen, but based on his track record at Kansas State, there’s a strong case to believe Joe Klanderman could be exactly the stabilizing force Baylor’s defense has been missing.

And if that happens, the Bears could quietly become one of the more dangerous teams in the Big 12.