A year after ranking in the top 10 in major defensive statistical categories, Tennessee football will be seeking a new leader on the defensive side of the ball.
UT announced on Dec. 8 that it would part ways with defensive coordinator Tim Banks, following a disappointing 8-4 season in which the defense regressed to near the bottom of the FBS. Banks, a 2024 Broyles Award finalist, received a two-year contract extension last offseason — prompting a buyout that will be north of $4 million.
“I want to thank Tim for everything he has done for Tennessee the last five seasons,” head coach Josh Heupel said in a press release. “He helped restore our program to national prominence. More importantly, Tim is a great man of character and someone I have the utmost respect for. We wish Tim all the best moving forward.”
Banks’ removal marks the first time in Heupel’s five-year tenure that he has moved on from an assistant. Special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler took the same job at Nebraska last season, and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh took the head coach position at USF in 2023.
Positional assistants Brian Jean-Mary and Jerry Mack also moved on after the 2023 season. Jean-Mary serves as the linebackers coach at Michigan, while Mack left for a job with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars before returning as head coach of the Kennesaw State Owls this season. Wide receivers coach Kodi Burns only spent one year on Heupel’s staff before moving on to become the New Orleans Saints’ wide receivers coach in 2022.
“These are tough decisions but one I ultimately felt was necessary for the future of our program,” Heupel said. “We are fully committed to identifying our next defensive coordinator who will uphold the standard that Tennessee has historically been known for.”
Tennessee took a step drop from a 2024 campaign that pushed a 10-win season and a berth into the College Football Playoff. The Vols ranked No. 7 in scoring defense (16.1 points allowed per game), No. 6 in total defense (293.2 yards per game) and No. 5 in yards per play (4.56) last season. With first-round pick James Pearce Jr. and second-rounder Omarr Norman-Lott, paired with injuries to All-American corner Jermod McCoy and all-conference counterpart Rickey Gibson, Banks’ unit did not replicate success.
In 2025, the Vols ranked No. 91 in scoring defense (28.7), No. 87 in total defense (395.5) and No. 63 in yards per play (5.5). Sacks were the only calling card for Banks’ unit, ranking tied-fifth with 36 in 12 games.
Conference play punished Tennessee’s defense, which put Banks on the hot seat. SEC opponents averaged 33.6 points per game against the Vols, including a 45-point effort by Vanderbilt to conclude the season.
Tennessee allowed 33 or more points in each of its four losses this season.
“Personnel evaluation, we’ll do that as an entire program, and I’ll certainly take a hard look at all of it,” Heupel said following the Vanderbilt game, where the Commodores totaled 582 yards of total offense.
The evaluation took a little more than a week to announce that Banks would not be moving further as defensive coordinator. Linebackers coach William Inge will serve as the Vols’ interim defensive coordinator when Tennessee battles Illinois in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.
