One of the biggest reasons why the Tennessee Vols are 6-1 through the first seven games of the 2024 season is because of UT's elite defense. 

Tennessee currently has the No. 4 scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 11.6 points per game so far this season. 

Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks, who is in his fourth season at Tennessee, deserves plenty of credit for UT's continued improvement on the defensive side of the ball. 

Banks, who served as the co-defensive coordinator at Penn State for five seasons before landing on Rocky Top, will likely receive some head coaching looks this offseason. It's obviously far too early to know if Banks will consider leaving Tennessee if he's offered a head coaching job (I think he should be picky and not take just any job), but there's at least a possibility that the Vols could be in the market for a defensive coordinator in the not-too-distant future (if not after this season, then perhaps after the 2025 season). 

If/when Vols head coach Josh Heupel is forced to look for a new defensive coordinator, it'll be his biggest coaching staff decision since the initial decision to hire Banks in early 2021. Heupel, as an offensive minded head coach, has a bigger impact on offense than defense. While he's obviously invested in every part of the team, his defensive coordinator essentially runs the show on that side of the ball. Replacing Banks, who has developed into a star in the SEC, will be a move that Heupel has to get right. 

Fortunately for Heupel and the Vols, a dream scenario for the program could present itself in the event that Banks leaves for a head coaching job (if the timing works out). 

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables' seat is starting to get warm with the Sooners off to a 4-3 start this season. 

It doesn't seem likely at this point that Venables will be fired after the 2024 season, though it's a possibility that can't be ruled out. Oklahoma needs two wins to get to bowl eligibility this season, but there's only one "automatic win" left on the Sooners' schedule (OU hosts Maine in November). Remaining games at Ole Miss, at Missouri, vs Alabama, and at LSU could realistically all be losses for Oklahoma, which would leave the Sooners at 5-7. If Venables goes 5-7 in his third season, there's a realistic scenario where he's fired. 

Venables might be struggling as a head coach, but he's one of the best defensive coordinators in the business. And he has a long history with Heupel. Venables was a coach at Oklahoma when Heupel was a player. The two coaches then spent six seasons together on the Sooners' coaching staff (2006 to 2011). 

"Josh [had] amazing work ethic and humility, same guy every day," said Venables earlier this season before Oklahoma played Tennessee. "Didn't try to be anybody that he wasn't. Incredible humility, respect for his teammates. But he bridged, and I don't know what the culture was like before we got here (at Oklahoma in the late 90s), so it's not really fair for me to say that he changed it other than there was some brokenness. He brought people together, and he was able to relate to people regardless of where they come from. And that's a cool thing about a locker room, but sometimes it's not easy to get it to mesh [with] everybody from all the different backgrounds and whatnot. But it was for him." 

Tremendous stuff from Brent Venables on Josh Heupel. The parallels in what Heupel did as a player at OU and as a coach at Tennessee, culture wise, are pretty incredible. pic.twitter.com/qwJ0uVAhyC

— zach ragan (@zachTNT) September 17, 2024

A scenario where Venables replaces Banks would be perfect for Tennessee. Venables is a coach that Heupel knows well. They have similar values and they clearly know they can work with each other. Plus, Venables previously worked with Vols secondary coach Willie Martinez at Oklahoma. He was also teammates with special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach Mike Ekeler at Kansas State (Venables was also a GA at Kansas State while Ekeler was still playing…and Ekeler was a GA at Oklahoma under Venables in 2003). There would be instant continuity on the defensive side of the ball.  

An added bonus would be the fact that Venables is a very loyal coach. He doesn't job hop and look for better opportunities. Since becoming a full time coach in 1996, Venables has spent time at three programs — Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Clemson. Landing Venables as the defensive coordinator would give Tennessee a offensive head coach/defensive coordinator combination that could be lethal for a long time. 

Obviously, the timing would have to work out for this to be a possibility for the Vols. If Venables is fired after 2024 but Banks returns to Tennessee, maybe the Vols could brining Venables in as an analyst for a year before taking over. But if Banks leaves after 2024 and Venables isn't fired, then it probably wouldn't be a realistic scenario for Tennessee. 

Eventually, Heupel will have to hire a new defensive coordinator. We have no idea what scenarios will be in play when that day comes, but Vols fans should hope that a scenario involving Venables is on the table. 

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