Week 9 wrapped up, and the hits on the college football job market have churned out another name. On Saturday, the Bears registered another blow against Cincinnati, 20-41; their fourth loss of the season. Head coach Dave Aranda is already on the $12 million hot seat. But after the weekend’s loss, offensive line coach Mason Miller was the one to vacate his position.

On Monday, Pete Thamel reported that Miller has parted ways with the program. “Sources: Baylor offensive line coach Mason Miller is no longer with the program. He’d spent two seasons with the Bears as the offensive line coach after coming over from Tarleton State.” The HC revealed the offensive line coach left the program due to a personal matter. Dave Aranda wished him the best for his future. “My thoughts, and really my best wishes for his future, go out to him and his family.”

Working across Mississippi State, Washington State, and Southern Louisiana, among others, he joined the Bears in 2024. His experience in building the Air Raid system has also been a plus point on his resume. His impact was clearly evident within one year. A roster that ranked 112th in 2023 (according to Sport Source Analytics) ranked 7th a year later, with the Bears registering 458.6 offensive yards per game this season. However, on Saturday, Baylor’s offensive issues were obvious.

The Bears were 0-14 in the first fifteen minutes. Michael Trigg’s six-year pass punched in their first TD, but the two-point conversion failed. They entered the fourth quarter 12-27. They were desperate for more action. But Cincinnati’s defense came off robust. Remember WR Kole Wilson’s fumble on his own 21-yard line? Over the 60 minutes, Baylor had two turnovers. The coach made sure to point out the issues.

“We needed a spark.” Aranda said after the game. “We needed some of the mistakes that were plaguing us in the last couple games, where there was a common theme there. We weren’t getting it fixed.” Quarterback Sawyer Robertson registered his season low with 137 passing yards on 18-of-26 attempts, averaging 5.3 yards and two touchdowns. Aranda is making sure not to repeat the offensive mistakes.

“So, we’ll continue to look at that. Every stone will be turned over to try to get the best that we can on the field.” Over the season, the Bears were 42-110 on third downs and 17-31 on fourth downs, with 92 yards lost on 14 sacks.

Analyst and Co-host of the Bear Cast, Baylor sports podcast, Grayson Grundhoefer, shared his takeaways from the upsetting loss. “Offense scored zero points first 29 minutes,” he wrote. Trigg’s TD came in the last 16 seconds of the second quarter. “Turnover margin -10 in Big 12 play; Players meeting, bye week, backs against the wall, etc. None of it has mattered for this very flawed team,” he wrote on X.

Miller’s departure comes in the wake of Dave Aranda’s hot seat.

Dave Aranda’s future hangs in the balance

With his initial momentum, 12-2 in the 2021 season, Dave Aranda hasn’t been able to sustain that performance. “Entering the season, the temperature had cooled down around Dave Aranda. The Baylor head coach answered two losing seasons with an 8-5 record and a 6-3 mark in the Big 12,” wrote Pete Nakos. With a 6-7 and 3-9 record in the next two campaigns, some optimism peaked when the program registered 8 wins last season. But a 4 losses so far in the 2025 campaign, Aranda is facing the hot seat.

Nakos continued. “But the Bears are now 4-4, including a 41-20 loss Saturday to Cincinnati.”Industry sources have told On3 to keep an eye on Baylor in the final four-game stretch of the year, with matchups against UCF, Utah, Arizona, and Houston. Aranda is well-liked, however, and has a buyout north of $12 million.”

According to USA Today, Baylor’s head coach is the 50th highest-paid coach, earning $4,702,570 for the 2025 season. So will another loss mean an end to Aranda’s tenure?