[lex24]

2-7 as head coach of Baylor last year. 12-2 this year; Big-12 and Sugar Bowl Champs. What made the difference?

"When the last season ended, Aranda did something coaches almost never do. He admitted that he was part of the problem. He said that being a career assistant coach had not properly prepared him for all the duties of a head coach. He needed to be more assertive in the decision-making process and more of a CEO than a coach. Can you imagine other coaches being so up-front about their own shortcomings?"

I for one can't imagine a coach even acknowledging their own shortcomings, let alone doing something about them. Interestingly, Aranda remade his coaching staff, especially on the offensive side after last season. Seems to have worked. . . .


https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entert...ve-aranda/

Gee whiz, who woulda thunk that such outlandish action might be so effective?

Psychologically this is really not easy to do, but it rather hard if you have ever had prior success in the role.

If it was easy to do Haase probably would have implemented a different offensive system by now.
Shaw has had prior success, so realistically a change like the one described would come from a new OC or a new coach.   Success in the current system requires getting more big dudes from The South through admissions.

Read an article in The Athletic on Baylor. Couple points :  they were 11-3 and in Sugar Bowl in ‘19:

“And though Aranda deserves credit, Baylor’s 2021 success speaks to the program’s strong foundation. The Bears were in the Sugar Bowl in 2019, where they finished 11-3 and lost to Georgia. This season marked Baylor’s sixth with double-digit wins since 2011. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the only other Big 12 programs to achieve that feat. Baylor’s 90 wins since 2011 are second-most in Texas behind only Texas A&M. The Bears claimed their third conference title since 2013.”


 So ‘20 was an outlier.  Even more interesting, Aranda emphasized getting physical.  Wanted to establish that as an identity. Change the culture.  Offensively they ran the ball.  Heavily. 40 times a game for just over 200.   Defensively, they focused on stopping the run. 

 Sounds like a good formula to me.  I’ve seen it before somewhere in the not so distant past.  Worked well.  Be nice to see that emphasis return.

[lex24]

2-7 as head coach of Baylor last year. 12-2 this year; Big-12 and Sugar Bowl Champs. What made the difference?

"When the last season ended, Aranda did something coaches almost never do. He admitted that he was part of the problem. He said that being a career assistant coach had not properly prepared him for all the duties of a head coach. He needed to be more assertive in the decision-making process and more of a CEO than a coach. Can you imagine other coaches being so up-front about their own shortcomings?"

I for one can't imagine a coach even acknowledging their own shortcomings, let alone doing something about them. Interestingly, Aranda remade his coaching staff, especially on the offensive side after last season. Seems to have worked. . . .


https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entert...ve-aranda/

Gee whiz, who woulda thunk that such outlandish action might be so effective?

Psychologically this is really not easy to do, but it rather hard if you have ever had prior success in the role.

If it was easy to do Haase probably would have implemented a different offensive system by now.
Shaw has had prior success, so realistically a change like the one described would come from a new OC or a new coach.   Success in the current system requires getting more big dudes from The South through admissions.

Read an article in The Athletic on Baylor. Couple points :  they were 11-3 and in Sugar Bowl in ‘19:

“And though Aranda deserves credit, Baylor’s 2021 success speaks to the program’s strong foundation. The Bears were in the Sugar Bowl in 2019, where they finished 11-3 and lost to Georgia. This season marked Baylor’s sixth with double-digit wins since 2011. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the only other Big 12 programs to achieve that feat. Baylor’s 90 wins since 2011 are second-most in Texas behind only Texas A&M. The Bears claimed their third conference title since 2013.”


 So ‘20 was an outlier.  Even more interesting, Aranda emphasized getting physical.  Wanted to establish that as an identity. Change the culture.  Offensively they ran the ball.  Heavily. 40 times a game for just over 200.   Defensively, they focused on stopping the run. 

 Sounds like a good formula to me.  I’ve seen it before somewhere in the not so distant past.  Worked well.  Be nice to see that emphasis return.