Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital leaves to join Baylor

Jake Spavital will leave Cal after one season to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Baylor, where head coach and defensive specialist Dave Aranda was retained following a 3-9 season.

Aranda, who has a record of 23-25 in four seasons, announced Spavital’s hiring on Thursday. This came just four days after the Bears fired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes after three seasons in the position.

Spavital recently completed his second one-year stint as offensive coordinator at Cal, where he also served in 2016. He began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at West Virginia from 2011 to 2012, then moved on to Texas A&M as the offensive coordinator/QBs coach for three seasons. His first departure from Cal was to return as OC to West Virginia in 2017-18, followed by four seasons as head coach at FBS team Texas State.

“I am excited to get back to Texas and thankful for the opportunity to work with Dave and his staff,” Spavital said in a statement. “I’ve admired Dave from afar for quite some time and have always viewed him as a coach that would be great to work alongside in the future, if I ever got that chance.”

Aranda was the defensive coordinator for LSU’s national championship team in 2019 before taking over as head coach at Baylor. Even though Matt Powledge remains as defensive coordinator, he is expected to take over play-calling duties on defense.

Cal qualified for the first time in four seasons after winning its final three regular-season games. The Pac-12 Bears averaged 31.6 points per game and finished fourth in the league with 181.1 yards per game.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jake to Waco to lead our offensive attack,” Aranda said in a statement. “Jake brings so much to the table and will be a huge asset to our program.” Jake is one of the best offensive minds in the country, having worked with some of the most innovative offenses in college football, and as a former head coach in the state, he brings a unique perspective to the offensive side of the ball.”

Baylor finished 13th in the 14-team Big 12 this season, averaging 23.1 points per game and 377.8 total yards per game. The Bears ranked last in scoring defense, allowing 33.3 points per game.