Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it was first published. Here are 10 things you might not know about him.

To get to the next level, Baylor hired a new head football coach who was part of a national championship this week.

LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda will replace Matt Rhule at Baylor, the school confirmed Thursday. Contract terms were not immediately available.

The list of Baylor candidates narrowed Thursday morning, usually a sure sign that a decision is imminent. Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente, viewed as a leading candidate, tweeted that he was returning for 2020. Louisiana announced that Billy Napier was staying.

That left Aranda and current Baylor assistant Joey McGuire as the two remaining top-tier candidates with sources soon identifying Aranda as the leading candidate.

“Today is an exciting day for Baylor," athletic director Mack Rhoades said in a statement. “Dave is a special person who loves football and his student-athletes, is highly intellectual, and is a great mission fit for both Baylor athletics and the university at large.”

Aranda, 43 and the nation’s highest paid assistant coach at $2.5 million, has been at LSU since 2016. Although LSU’s defense struggled at times during the regular season, the unit was strong late in the season and in the playoffs, containing Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.

In December, Aranda’s name had been mentioned as a possible candidate at UNLV. Baylor is a much, much better job, in a power conference and coming off an 11-3 season that included a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

“From the outside looking in, I was so impressed watching Baylor play,” Aranda said. “Seeing the unity of the team and the togetherness of their play really illustrated a strong culture. After meeting Mack Rhoades, talking with President [Linda] Livingstone and seeing Baylor’s alignment from top down you can see why they have been so successful.”

The hire has major implications for Baylor as well as for LSU.

By landing the defensive coordinator of a national champion, Rhoades has shown that Baylor is a desired destination, just three seasons after it was viewed as a train wreck.

Rhule showed there was life after Art Briles. Now Baylor has contended in the Big 12 under two different coaches and schemes in the past decade, while opening a new stadium.

While Aranda doesn’t have head coaching experience, the hire sent more of a statement than any other name realistically mentioned for the job.

Aranda’s departure continued the exodus from LSU in the wake of Monday’s national championship win over Clemson, part of it a ripple effect from Rhule’s departure.

The Tigers were already going to lose Heisman winner Joe Burrow. Passing game coordinator Joe Brady, who transformed the offense in one season, is reportedly headed to the Panthers with Rhule. Six underclassmen, including receiver John Jefferson, safety Grant Delpit and three other defenders have declared for the NFL draft. And that’s not counting the LSU assistants and staffers that might join Aranda in Waco.

In other words, Ed Orgeron has a major rebuilding job awaiting him.

The biggest challenge for Aranda will be transitioning from a career assistant to the face of the program as a head coach. No one doubts his ability or football knowledge on the that side of the ball.

Jimbo Fisher tried to hire Aranda at Texas A&M and later gave him a rave review to the Baton Rouge Advocate.

“Look at the results he’s got,” Fisher said Wednesday. “Dave’s a tremendous coach. Just look at the film. Those guys are tremendously sound, and he’s very creative. He understands coverages, how to take guys out of the game, how to bracket guys. Their blitz packages. Their run packages. (He’s) a very knowledgeable guy who’s had a tremendous amount of success, and the kids relate to him and they do a great job. Dave’s one of the outstanding coordinators in this country. No doubt.”

But winning over a fan base and donors at speaking engagements and small meetings is something different. Some segments of the Baylor fan base were even slow to embrace Rhule, despite his success.

Aranda must navigate the start of recruiting this weekend ahead of late signing day on Feb. 5 and will have to build a staff as well. There was no indication about how many of the current assistants, including the popular McGuire, will be kept. LSU safeties coach Bill Busch could be a candidate for Aranda’s defensive coordinator.

Regardless, Aranda takes over a much better and more competitive program than Rhule did in the wake of the school’s sexual assault scandal.

Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN

A look Dave Aranda

Age: 43

Alma mater: Cal Lutheran (bachelor’s in philosophy)

Previous job: LSU defensive coordinator, 2016-2019

Career capsule: Built top 10 defenses at Wisconsin (2013-15) and then LSU, becoming the highest paid college assistant at $2.5 million this past season.

Did you know? Aranda was a college teammate of Texas coach Tom Herman at Cal Lutheran, as well as being his roommate for a semester. … As a grad assistant, he was part of Mike Leach’s first staff at Texas Tech.

Quote: “The interest of being a head coach, I think, has always been there." – Aranda to reporters at the Peach Bowl in December