Tennessee players haven’t even reported for fall practice yet, but the the college football coaching carousel never stops turning.
Ahead of the 2023 season The Athletic’s Seth Emerson took a look at a handful of SEC assistant coaches that could land head coaching jobs after the 2023 season.
Listing 12 different coaches — both young and veteran — The Athletic pegged Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks as a coach that could land a low-level power five or group of five head coaching job following the season.
“The Vols’ defense gets overshadowed by the high-powered offense, but they were decent last year (seventh in the SEC in defensive YPP),” Emerson wrote. “Banks, 51, has never been a head coach but has a long history as a defensive coordinator. Prior to that, Banks was at Penn State, which ranked in the top four in the Big Ten in scoring defense the last four years he was there. Banks was also the DC at Illinois, Cincinnati and Central Michigan.”
As Emerson stated, Tennessee’s defense took steps forward in 2022 despite a porous pass defense. The Vols’ run defense was one of the countries best as Banks’ unit proved opportunistic.
The veteran defensive coordinator brought an aggressive defensive style to Tennessee just like Heupel brought an aggressive offensive style to Tennessee. The Vols rank first in the SEC in tackles for loss over the last two seasons and third in turnovers forced per game.
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Banks is a Detroit native and most of his coaching career has taken place in the Big 10. If Banks were to land a head coaching job it seems likely it would be back in the midwest and not in the southeast.
Josh Heupel has done a strong job of retaining his staff through two seasons in Knoxville, losing just one assistant in each of his two off-seasons in Knoxville with both assistants leaving Tennessee for promotions.
Receivers coach Kodi Burns left Tennessee to become the New Orleans Saints receivers coach following the 2021 season and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh left Tennessee to become South Florida’s head coach earlier this offseason.
Heupel chose to promote from within both times Tennessee had a vacancy on its coaching staff. The former Oklahoma quarterback pegged Kelsey Pope as his receiver’s coach when Burns left and promoted his former played and current quarterback’s coach Joey Halzle to offensive coordinator after Golesh left.
Tennessee’s third year head coach filled the open coaching spot on his roster by naming Alec Abeln, who was already in the Vols’ program, as the new tight ends coach.
One Response
Maybe he would be better suited for Head Coach. That way he wouldn’t have to coach the defense.