Baylor athletic director Doug McNamee declined to identify a win total that Dave Aranda must reach to remain the Bears’ coach beyond the 2026 season. The standard he described, however, may be more expansive than any number in the standings.

In comments shared on social media by CBS Sports college football writer Shehan Jeyarajah, a Baylor graduate and friend of the site, McNamee said his evaluation will hinge on whether Aranda restores momentum and inspires a broader level of support around the program.

“Everybody wants to say, well, what’s the magic number? I genuinely am not playing coy when I would say it’s not about the numbers,” McNamee said, according to the statement releases by Jeyarajah on X. “It’s the momentum; it’s the feel, and it’s the vibe around the program.”

Clear expectations on Aranda

The comment is one of the clearest public descriptions yet of the expectations facing Aranda entering his seventh season in Waco. Although McNamee stopped short of presenting an ultimatum, he placed responsibility on Aranda and the football program as a whole to creating a viable product to compete within the Big 12 and the new age NIL space at large. 

“We need greater commitment and investment from our constituency, both in as simple as passive as watching the game on TV and being in the stadium, to as explicit and as involved as making significant financial support to help from an NIL, from scholarship, from a capital resource perspective,” McNamee said in his statement. 

Aranda enters the season with a 36-37 record at Baylor. Since the Bears’ 12-2 campaign, Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl victory in 2021, they have gone 22-28 with three losing seasons in four years. Baylor finished 5-7 in 2025 and missed a bowl game after losing its final three contests.

McNamee's evaluation

McNamee assumed leadership of the athletic department in December, after Baylor had already announced Aranda would return amid its administrative transition under former AD Mack Rhoades. University President Linda Livingstone said at the time that the next athletic director needed an opportunity to assess the program and determine its long-term direction. That makes 2026 McNamee’s first full-season evaluation of Aranda.

The Bears responded by adding former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and hiring Joe Klanderman as defensive coordinator. They open Sept. 5 against Auburn in Atlanta before beginning a six-game home stand

“I need a story to write to make that a compelling story,” McNamee said. “The program needs to provide that.”

McNamee’s message leaves Aranda without a public magic number, but not without an explicit assignment. Baylor must show direction, restore belief and give its new athletic director a persuasive case for continued investment. The record will remain central, but McNamee made clear that the response surrounding the program will help determine who leads its next chapter.

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