The season is still ongoing, and Baylor finds itself back in the conversation of contending for a Big 12 Championship. A lot has changed in the past few weeks since Dave Aranda was fired after the loss to Kansas and Joe Klanderman was named interim head coach.

For the Bears though, things have only improved; they've won their last two games, their defense has continued being phenomenal, DJ Lagway seems to have finally arrived, and the Bears have the chance to play spoiler for their next three opponents en route to the Big 12 Championship game.

Back in October, we provided our Hot Board 1.0, so now here is Hot Board 2.0:

Robert Griffin III (2011 Heisman Winner, current Broadcaster)

Per reports, #Baylor is expected to interview Robert Griffin III for its head coach vacancy.

STORY:https://t.co/IAJsIJu9tO pic.twitter.com/Q0cyfbA1e7

— Baylor Bears On SI (@BaylorBearsOnSI) November 13, 2026

Spending his collegiate career at Baylor, and at one time having over 54 football related school records to his credit, as well as winning the Heisman Trophy in 2011, Robert Griffin has offered his services to his alma mater. Though he does not have the experience coaching at anywhere near as high a collegiate level as the Baylor job would be, he was successful during his time there as a player.

Player-to-coaching roles aren't wildly uncommon, though with RG3's coaching experience, it may be a bit soon to consider him as a viable option.

Jeff Traylor (UTSA)

Texas born, Texas pipelines and relationships already established, and a proven winner, Jeff Traylor seems almost tailor-made to coach the Baylor Bears. With what Traylor has been able to do at UTSA, as well as throughout the rest of his career, it could be Traylor's first job at a P4 conference. Baylor has been shown to be willing to spend money through the NIL, a luxury that UTSA is lacking.

Traylor is 60-28 during his career at UTSA. He has won nine or more games in three seasons and appears to be on his way to doing so this season.

Joe Klanderman (Interim Head Coach, Baylor)

After two games, has Joe Klanderman shown enough that he should become #Baylor's permanent head coach?

COLUMN:https://t.co/kZoJydQEcj pic.twitter.com/UUDv4EIoUy

— Baylor Bears On SI (@BaylorBearsOnSI) November 8, 2026

Joe Klanderman is a self-professed "football junkie" and his successes with the Bears defense this season are notable as they're No. 2 in the Nation in QB SKs with 37 and No. 3 in the nation with 80 TFLs. If not as head coach for the Bears, they still need to find some way to retain his services. And, while it may be a small sample size to use Baylor's previous two games, Coach Klanderman has provided a pretty strong resume in that timeframe.

Coach Klanderman is on record as stating that he would love the permanent head coaching position and also that he's not going to politic for it while the current season is still ongoing. Knowing what it takes to win, Coach Klanderman has had success with every team he's been a part of, even as a 4-time FCS National Champion with NDSU. RG3 even gave his stipulated endorsement for Joe Klanderman to become the Bears' next head coach recently.

Zach Kittley (FAU)

Baylor has been lacking an offensive focus at the head coaching position for the better part a decade, Zach Kittley could provide that offensive spark for the Bears, as he's done for the Owls of Florida Atlantic. Kittley's assistance with mentoring Caden Veltkamp and his explosive offense has him allegedly on the short-list for Baylor.

Kittley is from Texas and went to Texas Tech. He knows the roots of the state and would be able to come in and build instant connections on the recruiting trail. He went 4-8 last season with the Owls, in his first season as the head coach, and FAU is 6-3 in 2026.

GJ Kinne

Offensive-minded GJ Kinne could be a strong contender for Baylor's next head coach. Kinne is a Texan, born and bred, having played and coached in and around the state throughout most of his career. Choosing Kinne as Dave Aranda's successor would likely see Joe Klanderman still running the defense (and honestly, that's not a bad arrangement at all). Just like with Traylor, an already pre-established pipeline of in-state relationships still holds quite a bit of it's value, even in the current NIL age.

Kinne, current Bears offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, and any potential returning current starters would likely mean more offensive focus than Aranda had been able to produce this season. Kinne has been an offensive coordinator and QB coach for teams like UCF and Hawaii in the past, and could be exactly the spark that Baylor needs to give the fans the best team possible.

Lincoln Riley (If he’s fired)

Though he may have just provided USC enough reason to keep him around after defeating Ohio State this past Saturday. OSU's QB Julian Sayin being out due to injury played a heavy factor in the overall outcome, but this event could be Lincoln Riley's saving grace at USC. Riley has been on the hot seat during his stint at USC for an overall lack of production and big wins, but his Big 12 roots as well as being a native Texan make him a prime candidate if he were to lose (or walk away from) the job at Southern California.