Report: Penn State co-DC/safeties coach Tim Banks to be named Tennessee’s defensive coordinator
Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks will be named the new defensive coordinator at Tennessee, according to a report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports on Monday afternoon.
Banks spent the past five seasons on head coach James Franklin’s staff with the Nittany Lions. Before he arrived in State College in 2016, Banks was Illinois’ co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2012-15. And before that, he had the same position with Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference from 2010-11. The last time Banks was a defensive coordinator was at Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference from 2007-09.
Under Banks’ leadership, Penn State ranked No. 24 in the country last season in opponent passing yards per game (198.6). The Nittany Lions also ranked No. 15 nationally in opponent passing yards per game (181.5) in 2018.
Penn State has not yet responded to a request from the Centre Daily Times to confirm the news of Banks’ departure.
This will mark the third member of the Nittany Lions’ 2020 coaching staff not returning this fall. Former offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca was fired in January and former co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Tyler Bowen departed earlier this month to be the tight ends coach on Urban Meyer’s staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ciarrocca was replaced by new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, while former Nittany Lion Ty Howle took over Bowen’s position.
This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 1:27 PM.
