For the time being, Tim Banks is still the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee football team. However, reports continue to fly in that multiple teams are trying to get him to leave Knoxville for the 2025 season. One school has already swung and missed, though.
According to On3's Pete Nakos, his sources are telling him that Miami head coach Mario Cristobal offered Banks the defensive coordinator job in Coral Gables. However, Banks said thanks, but no thanks. While that's good news for Tennessee, Nakos is also reporting that Clemson is going to make a push to land him. Could we see Banks leave Knoxville for the Clemson job?
Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks continues to be considered for opening ACC Defensive Coordinator Jobs
— Vol Scoops (@VolScoops) January 2, 2025
Miami and Clemson seem to have legit interest
Does Tim Banks stay in Knoxville 🤔🍊 https://t.co/Fqsubs7Spt
Tim Banks reportedly turned down an offer to become Miami's new DC
It's fully up in the air if Banks is going to be back on Josh Heupel's staff once Week 1 of next season gets here. Rumors continue to swirl that Clemson and Dabo Swinney are going to go all in to hire Banks as the team's new defensive leader.
However, Heupel is surely going to have something to say about that. At this point of the offseason, losing a top assistant would not be ideal for Tennessee. Heupel probably has a backup plan in mind, but plenty of fans are hopeful that Banks won't be going anywhere.
This past campaign for the Vols, Banks was fantastic, with the Tennessee defense looking like a stout unit. The defense was a major reason why the program was able to post a 10-win season and reach the College Football Playoff for the first time.
In the coming days, there should be more information on what the future has in store for Banks. On one side of things, he could end up staying in Knoxville to help Tennessee get back to the CFP in '25. However, there's also a chance Swinney does enough to convince him to leave town. Let's see what happens here.