Tennessee coach a rumored candidate for ECU’s head coaching vacancy, has link to Pirates AD

Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, Tim Banks, could be a candidate for East Carolina’s recently vacated head coaching job according to On3’s Pete Nakos – who believes the link to Pirates AD Jon Gilbert is significant enough to put Banks in the running. ECU fired Mike Houston on October 20 after a 45-28 loss to Army.

“Tim Banks is the defensive coordinator of the year to this point in the 2024 season,” Nakos prefaced before saying, “The Volunteers rank No. 4 in the nation in total defense, allowing only 259.0 yards per game. They still haven’t allowed an opponent to score 20 points. Tennessee has forced turnovers inside its 5-yard line the last two weeks, too. ECU athletic director Jon Gilbert was an executive associate athletic director at Tennessee before taking the Southern Miss job. Could he hand the keys to one of the hottest coordinators in the country?”

The Vols are coming off one of their biggest wins as a program in years with a 24-17 victory over Alabama in Week 8 . Banks’ defense held Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe to 25/45 passing and two interceptions and stopped Alabama on third down 11 times in 14 attempts. He’s undoubtedly a rising star in the coaching realm.

With that said, though, he has been loyal to Josh Heupel since arriving in Knoxville. Taking a head coaching job for the first time at the Group of 5 level seems like a random step in his career. Banks has been a position coach/coordinator for 28 years. ECU being the school to break that streak feels far-fetched.

NC State’s Tony Gibson is a more likely option for ECU than Tennessee’s Tim Banks

If East Carolina wants another defensive-minded coach, NC State’s Tony Gibson makes a lot more sense. While Gibson has never held a head coaching position either, he’s not tied to Wolf Pack head coach Dave Doeren’s tenure in Raleigh like Banks is to Heupel’s in Knoxville.

Nakos even pitched the ECU job as his last chance for a head coaching job.

“The former West Virginia and Michigan assistant is in his sixth year at NC State. A nominee for the 2021 Broyles Award, Tony Gibson’s defenses have been one of the best in college football in recent years,” Nakos wrote. “The Wolfpack have ranked in the top 30 in total defense in the last three seasons. With experience recruiting in the Carolinas, is this his chance to land a head coaching job?”

Gibson’s in-state ties make him a more logical fit, and leaving NC State right now isn’t nearly as hard of an ask as leaving Tennessee is.

Consider Gibson a much likelier candidate to take the Pirates job.