Aranda's Crucial Spring: Baylor Bears Officially Open 2026 Camp

The Baylor Bears officially kicked off their 2026 spring practice schedule today, March 24, marking the beginning of a decisive period for head coach Dave Aranda. Following varied performances in recent seasons within an expansive Big 12 landscape, the 15-practice schedule—spanning five sessions in March and ten throughout April—is exclusively dedicated to rebuilding the fundamental culture and reshaping the starting depth chart. The spring evaluation period will conclude with the inaugural Baylor Fan Fest and an open practice at McLane Stadium on April 25.

Offensive Re-Evaluation

The primary directive for the offensive unit this spring is immediate operational tempo and establishing a reliable core of skill position players. Every starting assignment across the offensive line and in the backfield is subject to rigid competition.

Spring practice provides the coaching staff a 30-day window to evaluate how newly integrated personnel interface with returning veterans. For a program intent on reasserting its rushing dominance, the execution of the running back rotation and the immediate cohesion of the interior offensive linemen are non-negotiable evaluation points.

Defensive Integrity Under Aranda

Defensively, Dave Aranda has historically engineered units defined by gap integrity and complex secondary coverages. The spring focus is heavily centered on identifying functional depth at the linebacker level and generating organic edge pressure.

Given the high-scoring reality of modern Big 12 offenses, the Bears cannot afford rotational drop-offs in their secondary. The April sessions before the Fan Fest exhibition will serve as the ultimate proving ground for underclassmen attempting to supplant established boundary corners and deep-third safeties on the depth chart.

With the first practice serving as the physical baseline, Baylor's coaching staff holds exactly one month to construct a hardened two-deep roster capable of competing across a strenuous fall slate.