Dave Aranda Says 'Paying Players' Has Boosted Baylor's Recruiting Success in Big 12

Baylor head football coach Dave Aranda didn't mince words on what has led to the Bears having more success on the recruiting trail.

"We're paying players," Aranda told reporters Wednesday.

Baylor boosters have given the Bears one of the largest NIL budgets in the Big 12, allowing Aranda to land players he might not have had a chance to sign a few years ago. The Bears were late to enter the NIL space, but the GXG program launched in 2022 and introduced GXG Elite earlier this year.

After a shaky recruiting cycle in the 2024 high school class, Aranda has 15 commits already in the 2025 class. Kamauryn Morgan, who signed with Baylor earlier this month, is currently the best of the crop. The 4-star defensive lineman is the No. 94 overall prospect in his high school class, according to 247Sports.

Success in the recruiting trail is all relative. Baylor will likely never be able to compete for the same type of prospects taking their talents to Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, but a robust NIL program should help the Bears compete in the second and third tiers of players.

Baylor will also have the advantage of a newly wide-open Big 12 after the departures of Texas and Oklahoma. The Big 12 welcomed Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado to its ranks this offseason in a major shakeup of one of the nation's top conferences.

Aranda is 23-25 in four seasons at Baylor and could be on the hot seat coming off a 3-9 season in 2023. Getting some NIL funds for some higher-caliber players could make all the difference in keeping him in Waco.