National championships aren’t everything — just ask former LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. Despite LSU winning a national championship in 2019, there were dark clouds looming over the program.

Aranda spoke to ESPN for lengthy feature recently, saying:

“I felt when I was (at LSU) that I was like a machine. I didn’t really talk, and it got to the point where I was there long enough to where people kind of understood that and they would protect me or shield me from talking and then it just became worse. I would remove myself a lot. I just wouldn’t engage, more than anything.”

Aranda’s reserve and solo mentality didn’t go unnoticed, with ESPN’s Dave Wilson noting “the noise around the program during his time at LSU, from Les Miles’ firing to Ed Orgeron’s bravado, along with the pressure to win, had forced Aranda into a bunker mentality.”

Since accepting the head coaching position at Baylor in 2020, any ominous clouds appear to be lifting for both Baylor and the coach himself. In 2021, Baylor went 12-2, won the Big 12 conference, beat Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, and ended the season ranked No. 5 nationally. The forecast for the Bears’ season in 2022 looks sunny indeed, with a potential return to the Big 12 title game among the possibilities.