FRISCO, Texas — Now that all 16 coaches have spoken at Big 12 Media Days, the vibe of the offseason starts to shift to what’s coming.
Right now, comments matter because we don’t have action to break down. Once we do, that changes. But after the end of media days, here are the three coaches I feel like are in a tight spot going into the 2026 season.
Dave Aranda, Baylor
Dave Aranda started his press conference on Tuesday taking responsibility for everything that happened last season as the Bears went 5-7 and missed a bowl game. It begs the question — did Aranda think there were people that DIDN’T think he was responsible for it? He’s the head coach. Buck stops with him, you know?
He’s not calling defensive plays anymore. He’s brought in Joe Klanderman, formerly of Kansas State. It’s a new scheme and Aranda is going to let him run the show. When he was asked about his vision for fall workouts it was more about getting McLane Stadium full. He also called the scoreboard “a distraction.” It was a question about what Baylor must do in the fourth quarter after losing three one-score games last year.
Aranda is on the hot seat. Everyone knows that. But his time with the media didn’t exactly fill me with confidence about 2026.
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Deion Sanders is in his fourth season at Colorado, and it still feels like he’s more about the “vibe.” That works when you’re winning nearly 10 games and challenging for a Big 12 title game appearance. It doesn’t work when you’re coming off a 3-9 season.
He did seem more focused than a year ago. Beating cancer does plenty to clear the mind, and he referenced that on Tuesday. But is time at the podium felt more like a comedy set than a season preview. Some of the questions didn’t help. He was asked why he’s not in the EA video game (“If I’m not in the game, that mean they weren’t paying enough.”). But when asked what might surprise outsiders about his team this year, he said “Well, we better win. That’s going to be the surprise.” He also skipped his breakout session.
He was more insightful in one-on-one interviews with national media. But there is potential for things to get tighter around him because the guy that hired him — Rick George — is retired. Fernando Lovo is the new athletic director. If CU has another 3-9 season there will be pressure on him — and by extension Sanders. And witty asides won’t explain any of that away.
Morgan Scalley, Utah
The new head coach at Utah hasn’t coached outside of the state of Utah. He played at Utah and he’s replacing a legend in Kyle Whittingham. Plus, Whitt’s departure wasn’t exactly smooth. This could go one of two ways and there’s no in between:
Scalley could be the guy and lead Utah back to contention in the Big 12 right away. Utah went 11-2 last year, nearly got to the Big 12 title game and has the quarterback, Devon Dampier, back.
Or…
Scalley proves to be overmatched for the job, the turnover on the depth chart (just five returning starters) holds Utah back and the program dips back to .500 or worse.
His time with the media didn’t give me a good read on where he’s at. One could argue that Kansas State head coach Collin Klein is in the same spot. But Scalley has more to lose with an average or below-average year than Klein does.
