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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Baylor is searching for a new head coach after firing Dave Aranda on Sunday.
The move came after the Bears' heartbreaking 25-24 loss to Kansas, giving the Jayhawks their first conference win of the season and dropping Baylor down to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play.
Aranda's seven-year run in Waco ends with an even 40-40 overall record, highlighted by a Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl win in 2021, earning him AP Big 12 Coach of the Year honors. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will take over as interim head coach for the rest of the season while the school begins its search.
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Several names have already emerged as potential replacements, including UTSA's Jeff Traylor, Texas State's G.J. Kinne, and Boise State's Spencer Danielson. Baylor isn't necessarily a college football powerhouse, but it is an attractive job given its Power Four status, facilities, and history of being one of the most competitive programs in the Big 12.
On3's Pete Nakos recently pointed to one other coach as a name to watch: Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson.
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Dawson is the Hurricanes' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Mario Cristobal. He joined Miami in 2023 after coordinating offenses at Houston and Southern Miss, with previous stops at Kentucky, West Virginia, and Stephen F. Austin. He first started as a wide receivers coach in 2002 at Wingate, a Division II school in North Carolina.
His previous work in Texas, spending three seasons at Stephen F. Austin, could help give him an edge in the recruiting department, which is crucial for a school like Baylor to try to retain top in-state talent. But Dawson's strongest selling point is what he's done to Miami's offense.
Through seven games this season, the undefeated Hurricanes are averaging 49 points and 551.9 total yards per game. They have the most explosive offense in the country behind Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney, both potential Heisman candidates, with Miami sitting No. 1 in the latest AP poll. Dawson also helped the Hurricanes reach the national championship game last season and played a key role in developing Cam Ward, who went No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Baylor could see Dawson as someone capable of bringing an aggressive, modern offense to Waco and helping develop DJ Lagway, the top-rated quarterback prospect in the 2024 class. The main question is whether he's ready to make the jump to leading an entire program, since he's never been a head coach at any level.
Baylor has already indicated it likely won't announce a new head coach until December due to college football calendar, and for now, Dawson is simply a name to watch. But with Miami putting up double-digit blowouts seemingly every week, it's easy to see why the Bears could be interested in bringing him in.
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