Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks may not be a Vol much longer. He’ll almost assuredly have options to be a head coach somewhere after the season has concluded.
There are a couple of factors that could prevent him from becoming a head coach next season. He’ll be tough to interview if the Vols go deep into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, which won’t conclude until January 20th. If the Vols are playing that deep into the playoffs, it won’t be easy to interview Banks.
In fact, it could be difficult to interview Banks if the Vols make the playoffs at all since the new postseason won’t begin until December 20th and most athletic directors would like to make a hire during that month. Tennessee was once in a position where they had to make a quick move in 2009 when Lane Kiffin, who claimed he had a job offer from Washington, was tabbed to replace Phillip Fulmer, who was, subsequently, fired during the season to make room as soon as possible.
Then, there’s the fact that Banks is a defensive coach. Tennessee athletic director Danny White has openly said that head coach Josh Heupel’s attacking offensive style that scores a lot of points is one reason why White hired Heupel in 2021. This season may be an aberration for Heupel’s high-flying offense, but points sell tickets and Heupel has certainly done that. Banks, as a lifelong defensive coach, won’t have that going for him.
Tennessee won a national championship in 1998, partly, because their staff was so intact throughout the 1990’s. Yes, the Vols lost offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe when he became Ole Miss’ head coach in December 1998, but that was after the Vols had cemented themselves as an elite program nationally. They would go onto win the national championship game without Cutcliffe coaching in the Fiesta Bowl.
Tennessee was championship worthy in 1999 and was one SEC Championship Game upset from playing for a national championship in 2001. Then, things began to slowly unravel. Still, the seasons weren’t all bad after the Vols’ staff began to turn over.
Tennessee certainly benefitted from having defensive coordinator John Chavis in place during the Fulmer years. He never was considered for a high-profile, head coaching job. Why? That’s a bit unclear, but his people skills that are so important with donors didn’t help him even though he was more than willing to take over most any job offered to him.
The Vols played for an SEC championship in 2003, 2004 and 2007, but were never a truly elite program after Cutcliffe left. Heupel may be trying to avoid such a letdown by hiring linebacker coach William Inge, who has been a special teams and defensive coordinator at various stops throughout his career. He has certainly done a fantastic job with Tennessee’s linebackers since being hired in February.
Banks would actually be a good fit for Kentucky if the Cats are looking for a head coach following this season – or following the Vols’ matchup against the Wildcats at 7:45 EST on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. However, Kentucky has gone the “solid defensive coach” route with head coach Mark Stoops. That could work against Banks if the Kentucky job came open. Then, there’s the hard truth of the matter.
Banks is, indeed, African-American. That could affect the quality of job offer he will receive one day. He’s arguably done more at Tennessee than former offensive coordinator Alex Golesh, who was offered an exceptional position at South Florida after the Vols’ banner offensive year in 2022, which is no greater than what Tennessee is doing this season.Golesh had help with Heupel. Banks has done much of the Vols’ defensive work on his own.
If Banks gets a Kentucky-kind-of offer following this season, he may be tough to keep in Knoxville. If so, he’ll be well compensated as athletic director Danny White and Heupel know the importance of having Banks right where he is. His players and simple statistics prove as much.
“Coach Banks is one of those guys that you get to know on a personal level,” linebacker Kalib Perry said this week. “But he means business at the end of the day. He’s someone who truly cares a lot about his players.
“He’s always gonna make sure he puts his players first… He’s someone who makes sure that he builds on people and not puts them down. So, yeah, he’s going to teach you what you did wrong, but he’s going to make sure you learn from it, not just yell without a purpose, but make sure there’s a purpose behind it.“
There are 1,000 statistics pointing to why Banks would be an excellent head coach, but let’s keep it simple. The Vols were 12th in the SEC in total defense with 421 yards allowed per game in Banks’ first season in 2021. The Vols are No. 2 in the SEC this season, allowing just 241 yards per game this season. That’s a pretty phenomenal turnaround and even more impressive considering the Vols’ offense has put Tennessee in a bind more than once this season.
Banks has also showed that he can field a great defense in various ways. He relied on exotic twists, stunts and blitzes when he didn’t have the personnel to match SEC offenses. Now, his defense is still multiple, but tend to win more one-one-one battles so Banks has made things more simple.
Banks will almost certainly have job offers following this season. How good they are will most likely determine if he continues to be a Vol.
