Could the Tennessee Vols be in the market for a new defensive coordinator this offseason?

It’s too early to know for sure, but it appears it could be a possibility with James Franklin recently getting hired as the head coach at Virginia Tech.

Tennessee’s Tim Banks named as a candidate for defensive coordinator job at Virginia Tech

247Sports listed Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks this week as a candidate for the defensive coordinator job at Virginia Tech.

Banks, who has served as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator since 2021, previously worked under Franklin at Penn State (Banks was the Nittany Lions’ co-defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2020).

Franklin and Banks first worked together at Maryland in the early 2000s when they served as position coaches for the Terrapins.

“It would take a lot to lure him away from Tennessee and his $2.15 million annual salary, but perhaps the challenge of revamping a once-dominant Virginia Tech defense would be enticing,” wrote 247Sports’ Amber Marie.

Tennessee had the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation last season under Banks’ guidance. The results haven’t been nearly as good this season, though, as the Vols rank No. 96 in scoring defense through the first 10 games.

Some of Tennessee’s defensive struggles this season, however, have been due to injuries, mainly cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson.

There’s no indication that Banks is looking to leave Tennessee for a lateral move, but given how chaotic the coaching carousel has already been, it’s not something that can be ruled out.

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