Adam Rittenberg

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Adam Rittenberg

ESPN Senior Writer

College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

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Max Olson

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Max Olson

ESPN Staff Writer

Covers the Big 12

Joined ESPN in 2012

Graduate of the University of Nebraska

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Eli Lederman

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Eli Lederman

ESPN Staff Writer

Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

Oct 25, 2026, 12:55 PM ET

Dave Aranda wasn't a typical head coach : He is introspective, introverted, cerebral and brilliant in ways. Baylor seemed to have really found something in hiring the first-time head coach from LSU 's 2019 national championship-winning staff.

In 2021, he led the Bears to a Big 12 championship, their third in nine seasons, and the school's first Sugar Bowl win since 1957. Baylor finished No. 5 nationally that fall.…