Tennessee Vols take care of important offseason task and make a major statement in the process
The Tennessee Vols officially took care of an important offseason task on Friday. According to multiple reports (including the initial report from VolQuest), Tennessee signed defensive coordinator Tim Banks to a new three-year deal on Friday morning. Banks' contract was set to expire at the end of January. Not only did the Vols manage to […]
The Tennessee Vols officially took care of an important offseason task on Friday.
According to multiple reports (including the initial report from VolQuest), Tennessee signed defensive coordinator Tim Banks to a new three-year deal on Friday morning.
Banks' contract was set to expire at the end of January.
Not only did the Vols manage to retain Banks, but the Vols also made a statement that they're committed to continued excellence by making the Detroit native one of the highest paid defensive coordinators in college football.
Banks' new deal, which runs through the 2027 season, will reportedly pay him $2.15 million a year.
LSU's Blake Baker was reportedly the highest defensive coordinator in college football in 2024 at $2.5 million.
Banks' new salary would have made him the third highest paid defensive coordinator in 2024 (we'll see how it shakes out in 2025).
Retaining Banks was extremely important for head coach Josh Heupel and the Vols. Banks has done a tremendous job since arriving in Knoxville in early 2021. Tennessee's defense has steadily improved in each year of Banks' tenure. In 2024, the Vols finished with the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation.
If Tennessee had been unable to retain Banks, it would've left Heupel in a situation where he's looking for a new defensive coordinator just a couple of months before the start of spring practice. Hiring a new defensive coordinator could've also meant major staff changes on the defensive side of the ball. That wouldn't have been ideal for the Volunteers ahead of a season in which the program is hoping to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Fortunately for the Vols, they don't have to go down that road.
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