Josh Heupel makes a massive move that many Tennessee Vol fans questioned that he would do

Josh Heupel showed some accountability in a problem area from the 2025 season.

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Tennessee coach Josh Heupel during warm-ups before a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on November 1, 2025. Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What a difference a calendar year makes. And for Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks, it means going from a terrific season to being out of a job.

According to multiple outlets, Tennessee and Banks are parting ways. Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the school is dismissing him.

Tennessee and DC Tim Banks are parting ways on Monday

Banks has been Josh Heupel’s defensive coordinator since Heupel was hired at Tennessee in January of 2021. Before coming to Knoxville, Banks served as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for Penn State from 2016 to 2020. He also previously served as defensive coordinator for Illinois and Central Michigan.

The Vols’ defense couldn’t keep up with the offensive side of the ball for the majority of Heupel’s tenure, except in the 2024 season. Last year, Tennessee’s defense was top 10 nationally in points allowed, rushing yards allowed, and total yards allowed. The unit carried a sputtering offense through SEC play to 10 wins and the program’s first-ever playoff appearance.

However, the unit has fallen off a cliff in 2025, and the season finale against Vanderbilt appears to be the final straw. Vanderbilt rolled up 312 rushing yards and 582 total yards in a 45-24 win over the Vols. It was apparent that heads needed to roll after that performance, and Banks was the first to go.

From reading the fan reaction on social media, it seemed as though some questioned whether Heupel would actually be willing to make a move even if he needed to. As it turns out, he was.

Banks was recently named as a candidate to fill the Toledo head coaching vacancy, and hopefully, that’s where he’ll end up, and he’ll land on his feet from this.

But it was clear that it was time for the two sides to move on separately, and for Tennessee to get a new leader who has to improve greatly in 2026 for the program to get back to where it wants to be.

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