All for Tennessee
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Tennessee football’s top five seniors of 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) catches the ball en route to a touchdown during a football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.Kns Tennessee Alabama Football Bp
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) catches the ball en route to a touchdown during a football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.Kns Tennessee Alabama Football Bp /
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Nov 27, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jeremy Banks (33) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jeremy Banks (33) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /

839. Pick Analysis. Linebacker. 6'1 224 lbs. Jeremy Banks. Scouting Report. 3. player

The leading tackler among returning SEC defenders, Jeremy Banks has had a rocky career with Tennessee football but is clearly settled in now at linebacker.

It’s hard to remember, but Jeremy Banks committed to Tennessee football in 2018 with Jerome Carvin. He was a running back at the time and converted to linebacker in 2019. Then he was dismissed from the team after his third game and took a redshirt, only to come back in 2020, and last year, he was thrust into the No. 1 linebacker role.

That came due to the transfers of Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch and the subsequent season-ending injury to Juwan Mitchell, who had transferred to the Vols from the Texas Longhorns. Playing a relatively new position in a new system with a role he didn’t expect to have, though, Banks managed to thrive.

For the year, Banks tied for the team lead in tackles for a loss and sacks with 11.5 and five and a half respectively. The former makes him top five among returning SEC linebackers. He also led the team with 128 total tackles and 59 solo tackles, which leads all SEC returning defenders and linebackers separately for this year.

Simply put, there’s a reason Banks is receiving preseason All-SEC hype. Now, he joined fellow linebackers Aaron Beasley and Solon Page III as the three defenders with the lowest PFF regular season grades among anybody who played 100 snaps. However, there were other issues at play, and if he developed his quarterback containment this year, he has All-American potential.

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