Media Day Notebook: Baylor

After losing Charlie Brewer to the transfer portal, Baylor is conducting a quarterback competition with three players: Gerry Bohanon, Blake Shapen and Jacob Zeno.

All three have a unique skillset that their head coach believes can change how their offense works. Aranda described it as a great competition thus far, with all three working with assistant coach Shawn Bell.

Bohanon has focused on his drop-back passing game and making correct reads, they have been emphasizing accuracy and leadership ability with Zeno and Shapen needs to find comfort within their offensive scheme.

That was the line Aranda used multiple times while talking about his defense.

He said they tried too hard sometimes a year ago and that simple can be sophisticated and great. That seems to be one of the cultural values that Aranda has been trying to install for the Bears entering his second season in Waco.

Linebacker Terrel Bernard is back for his senior season after missing the last four games last year due to a shoulder injury. Before being injured and becoming unavailable, Bernard had 55 tackles with 6.5 being for a loss.

Aranda mentioned how he is thankful Bernard has returned and that he has a great heart and pushes everyone to be better. Bernard is someone who has embraced that simple is better and can be sophisticated and that the sky is the limit for him.

He's a reflection of the culture the second-year head coach is trying to build, create and foster at Baylor.

Aranda raved about the potential of his team's secondary and that they have great flexibility in that room and lots of guys study the LSU players he used to coach to understand the scheme better.

And if there is a guy that understands defense and is an expert on the secondary, it is Aranda from his time in Baton Rouge where many players reached their full potential and became stars.

He has big expectations for preseason all-Big 12 player Jalen Pitre. He said that the defense as a whole is trying to build off of the Oklahoma game from last season where they held the Sooners to just 27 points.