Why Tim Banks Believes Auburn's Safety Room Has Plenty of Depth Entering 2026

In his first season as the co-defensive coordinator of the Auburn Tigers, Tim Banks is hopeful about his position group ahead of the first year under Alex Golesh.

Former Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks is optimistic about Auburn's safety room going into the 2026 season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Auburn Tigers will look to continue their success at the secondary in 2026. First-year co-defensive coordinator of the program, Tim Banks, tends to agree. 

While also being the position coach of the safeties entering next season, the former Tennessee defensive coordinator believes that that group has the capability of shining for the Tigers in the first season under Alex Golesh. The Tigers will look to improve on the bottom-half finish in passing yards allowed per game in the SEC last season by their group. 

Fortunately, Banks believes that there’s plenty of depth within the group entering 2026. 

“You like to be able to play, you know, six guys, you know, four on the hash and two at the start position,” he said on Tuesday. “I think that’s important in this day and age of football.”

Of course, senior safety Champ Anthony will headline the group, playing in seven games of his senior season before missing the end of the year with a leg injury while suffering a broken thumb against Baylor to begin the season. An attendee of SEC Media Days in July, Banks hopes that he helps lead the defense in 2026. 

When Anthony went down in 2025, junior Kaleb Harris, sophomore Eric Winters and senior Sylvester Smith-Reed picked up the scraps to have productive seasons. All return to the Plains for their respective seasons, and all finished with over 25 total tackles last season. 

Being a returning piece for D.J. Durkin’s defense is handy, and especially for a player like Harris, who led the position group in tackles last season, Banks has seen his understanding of the game already beginning fall camp. 

“Kaleb’s been awesome,” he said. ‘He’s super smart; he can see it, and that’s rare. Sometimes, guys can see it on the board; they understand it, but when they get between the grass, they’re always a tick behind.”

“It takes them a minute, but he’s not that. He’s not that way.”

Auburn also brings in other depth that will look to make a statement as an early bloomer. Junior safety Fred Gaskin II comes from USF with a sack and two interceptions, while sophomore Newboy Fegans will look to overcome an early injury from this past year to get back into the fray ahead of the regular season. 

Other names, like Texas A&M transfer Jacoby Mathews from last season, could be unlocked to be the five-star caliber that they were recruited to be. 

Overall, it’s understandable to believe that Banks has a strong room ahead of the 2026 season. Auburn has to face opponents with top passing attacks, like Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama, among others. 

However, if Banks’s group can gel together before October, the Tigers can play spoiler across the SEC next season with their depth. 

“We talk a lot about getting what you deserve, and if you got a bunch of good players that can play, we’ll find roles for them,” he said. “So, yeah, we’re going to play as many as we can. That is the plan.”

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