Dave Aranda reveals classy goodbye to Baylor Bears

Aranda went on to thank all of the players, coaches and staff that he worked with at Baylor.

Interestingly, he seemed to hint that some of the changes in college football, like the advent of NIL and the seemingly always-open transfer portal, may have played a role in some of his struggles.

Dave Aranda may not have been able to adapt to the NIL and transfer portal era at Baylor 

Baylor hired Aranda after his time serving as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at LSU under Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. He was known as one of the best defensive minds in college football at that point, stemming back to his time as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin.

His first season at Baylor was the COVID-shortened 2020 season, which saw Baylor go 2-7. He hit the ground running in 2021, though, going 12-2 and winning the Big 12. That was the high-water mark for Aranda at Baylor, and it's worth noting that NIL really started changing the landscape of things right after that 2021 season.

“The game changed tremendously during my time at Baylor — some of which we were prepared for and others requiring growth on all fronts. At the end of the day, our results on the field didn’t meet expectations and I understand that part of the business," Aranda said. "I trust you all know it was not for lack of passion or effort. Through it all, we changed lives and furthered men — doing it the Baylor way. No apologies, no regrets, simply gratitude.”