Former Tennessee DC Tim Banks joining SEC foe after being fired by the Vols

This week, there's been a major change for the Tennessee coaching staff, as defensive coordinator Tim Banks has been fired and the expectation is that Jim Knowles will take his spot. For a lot of people, that's a huge upgrade for Josh Heupel.

Tennessee football fans appear to be split on Josh Heupel's expected new DC hire

While Banks didn't get the job done for Tennessee this past season, no one can argue with the fact that he's a respected coach. So much in fact, it looks like he has already found a new home. According to On3's Justin Hokanson, Banks is expected to become the new safeties coach for Auburn. So, after getting fired, he's making the move from Knoxville to an SEC foe? That appears to be the case:

Auburn will reportedly hire former Tennessee DC Tim Banks

In less than a week, Banks was fired by Tennessee and then quickly joined a new program. New Tigers head coach Alex Golesh has worked quickly to put together his new staff, with him taking advantage of Banks and Tennessee parting ways.

Last offseason, rumors were flying that Banks was going to leave Knoxville, with Miami and others targeting him to take over as new DC. However, Heupel managed to bring him back on a new deal, but the 2025 campaign didn't go according to plan for Tennessee and Banks.

Because of that, the door has swung wide open for Knowles to officially leave Penn State and join Heupel's staff. Knowles is considered a defensive genius, which is why the Nittany Lions broke the bank to poach him from Ohio State.

With James Franklin getting fired and Matt Campbell stepping in at Penn State, the writing was on the wall for Knowles with the Big Ten side. He'll be Tennessee-bound and Banks is headed for The Plains. Interestingly enough, Auburn is on the schedule for Tennessee in '26, meaning Banks will be back in Knoxville next fall, but on the other side of the field.