Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel has done a remarkable job of keeping his coaching staff together during his first two years in Knoxville. 

In just a little over a month, Heupel will begin his third season as Tennessee's head coach. And during that time, Heupel has only had to replace two on-field assistants. 

Wide receivers coach Kodi Burns left UT after one season to become the New Orleans Saints' wide receivers coach. And then offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Alex Golesh left this past offseason to take the head coaching job at USF. 

If the Vols continue to find success, assistants will be presented with opportunities to advance their coaching careers. It's the "downside" of running a successful program (it's something that Nick Saban has been dealing with at Alabama for well over a decade…and it can make maintaining coaching staff chemistry a challenge). 

I wouldn't expect a mass exodus of coaches from Tennessee after the 2023 season, but it wouldn't be a surprise if we see more turnover from the Vols' coaching staff after year three than what we've seen during the first two years of the Heupel era. 

One coach that could be on the move is defensive coordinator Tim Banks. 

The Athletic's Seth Emerson, a longtime college football reporter, pointed out Banks this week as an assistant who could land a low-level Power 5 or Group of 5 head coaching job this offseason. 

From The Athletic: The Vols’ defense gets overshadowed by the high-powered offense, but they were decent last year (seventh in the SEC in defensive YPP). Banks, 51, has never been a head coach but has a long history as a defensive coordinator. Prior to that, Banks was at Penn State, which ranked in the top four in the Big Ten in scoring defense the last four years he was there. Banks was also the DC at Illinois, Cincinnati and Central Michigan.

Banks has received some criticism from Tennessee fans — though I think most fans have a positive view of him — because of the Vols' defensive struggles over the last two seasons. While it's true that Tennessee's defense has had some rough outings (most notably the 25 point loss to South Carolina last season), it's also true that the Vols' defense has played at an extremely high level at times (last season against LSU, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Clemson). 

If Tennessee's defense takes a big step forward in 2023, it seems inevitable that Banks will receive some head coaching interest. And if he lands a head coaching job, it'll be a big loss for Tennessee. 

From a continuity standpoint, losing Banks would disrupt a lot of the progress that Tennessee's made defensively. And from a staff chemistry standpoint, it could be tough to find another defensive coordinator that buys in completely to Heupel's approach. Heupel places a huge importance on fit and culture which could make finding a replacement difficult. 

Obviously that's a long way away. But it's still something to keep in mind if the Vols' defense shows some improvement this fall. Heupel would be wise to at least start making a list of coaches that he thinks could fill Banks' shoes while fitting in seamlessly with the rest of the staff. 

About the only thing that can slow down Tennessee right now would be a disruption in the great culture that's been created by Heupel and his staff. Which is why fans should hope that Banks decides to stick around for at least one more year after the 2023 season. 

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