Tennessee Vols’ rumored target to replace DC Tim Banks says a lot without saying much about his candidacy for the job
Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Ryan Walters wasn’t dismissive when addressing a question about the Tennessee job.
The Tennessee Volunteers are looking for their next defensive coordinator after Josh Heupel fired Tim Banks this week, ending the latter’s five-year run with the program.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters has quickly surfaced as a potential candidate to fill his shoes. And it didn’t take long for the media covering the Huskies to ask him about the job.
Walters was asked about it on Tuesday, and while he said he hadn’t been contacted about it, he didn’t dismiss interest in the possibility nor say he was 100% locked in at Washington.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters doesn’t shoot down possibility of considering Tennessee job when asked about it on Tuesday
“That’s an easy connect-the-dots deal,” Walters said. “I’ve coached with a lot of those guys in the past. Know and respect them fully. But rumors are just rumors. I’ve had zero communication with anybody over there regarding any kind of job. I know there’s an opening there. So, like I said, if I was a media member, I’d connect the same dots as well. That makes sense. But right now, those are just rumors.”
Walters then addressed a follow up question if he expects to be at Washington in 2026.
“I hope so. I really enjoy this place. Right now, I am the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington. We’re playing against Boise State on Saturday. I enjoy Seattle, and my family lives here, love it here. So, that’s just where we’re at right now.”
When Walters talks about coaching with “a lot of those guys” at Tennessee, the most important one is, of course, Heupel himself, who he worked with in the past at both Oklahoma (2012) and Purdue (2016-17).
Walters has churned out a solid group for the Huskies in 2025. Washington ranks 20th nationally in yards per game (311.4) and yards per play (4.82) and 21st in points per game (19.42). The Huskies held Ohio State to 24 points and Oregon to 26 in games where the Huskies’ offense couldn’t get anything done for basically both games. They held 10 of their 12 opponents to 24 points or less, with only Oregon and Illinois (25 points) eclipsing that total. That’s a pretty solid and consistent job across the season.
We’ll see if Heupel is able to convince Walters to have a reunion in Knoxville in the coming days. And it sounds like, for those who read the tea leaves, that it might not be outside the realm of possibility.
Tennessee Volunteers News
‘Now he’s out of a job, it’s awful’ – ESPN’s Greg McElroy shares thoughts on Tennessee moving on from defensive coordinator Tim Banks
The Tennessee Vols and defensive coordinator Tim Banks parted ways on Monday. Tennessee is now in the hunt for a new defensive coordinator.
