The Tennessee Vols have the No. 5 scoring defense in the nation through the first four games of the 2024 college football season.
Over the last four seasons, the Vols' defense has slowly become one of the team's biggest strengths thanks to Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks.
Banks, who joined Tennessee's staff when Josh Heupel was hired to replace Jeremy Pruitt as the program's head coach, was a relatively unknown assistant coach at Penn State when he arrived on Rocky Top in early 2021.
But thanks to the improvement of Tennessee's defense, Banks has suddenly become one of the hottest names in college football.
Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, in fact, thinks Banks will be a "name to watch" in the upcoming coaching search cycle.
From SI.com : The Vols forced four fumbles, recovering two, and harassed Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold into three turnovers and an unceremonious benching. Defensively, offensively and on special teams, Tennessee spent all night delivering blows. The Vols didn’t run for 200 yards for the first time this season, but they mauled the Oklahoma running game, allowing just 36 yards on the ground.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks should be a name to watch in the upcoming coaching carousel.
If Tennessee's defense continues to perform at an elite level this season, Banks will undoubtedly receive some head coaching offers.
Now, whether or not Banks takes one of those jobs will depend on the situation. I don't think he's going to accept just any head coaching job -- he'll look for the right situation.
But if the right situation presents itself, it'll be tough for Banks to turn it down.
And the timing could be interesting.
Programs that hire new coaches usually make moves in early December, before the start of the College Football Playoff. If Banks is hired by another program, he'd likely need to start immediately, due to the hectic nature of the NCAA transfer portal calendar.
It's certainly possible that Banks could stick around at Tennessee for a playoff run, but that would automatically put him behind at his new job. I think it's more likely than not that Banks would leave the Vols before the playoff if he accepts a head coaching gig after the regular season. And that would mean that Tennessee would have to go through the playoff with an interim defensive coordinator (if the Vols make the playoff). That's not exactly an ideal situation, but it's something that Tennessee, as a program, has experienced before.
Former Vols offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe left Tennessee ahead of the 1998 national championship after he was hired by Ole Miss to lead the Rebels' football program.
Things worked out just fine for the Vols that season as they defeated Florida State to claim the first ever BCS championship.
Tennessee will cross that bridge with Banks if/when they get there. But it's definitely a situation that could be in play later this year.
Related: Bob Stoops makes strong statement about the Tennessee Vols' offense while discussing Oklahoma's defense
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