Volunteer Country

Report: Tennessee Football and Tim Banks Part Ways

Tim Banks will not be with the Vols for the 2026 football season.
Caleb Sisk|
University of Tennessee football's defensive coordinator Tim Banks speaks to the press on media day at the campus in Knoxville, Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
University of Tennessee football's defensive coordinator Tim Banks speaks to the press on media day at the campus in Knoxville, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. | Hannah Mattix/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers have officially wrapped up their 2025 regular season and are now looking towards the future as they have one final game, which will be played in Nashville in the Music City Bowl game, but they will also be looking towards the 2026 football season, which looks as promising as ever.

While there are some promising things in the future, the Vols will be without one of their current coaches, who has been with the team for quite some time. The Vols will be without Tim Banks, the Tennessee Volunteers' defensive coordinator.

Banks is a guy that fans have really had mixed feelings about. He has had some decent seasons, but there are a lot that weren't great. This season was one of the worst seasons for the Vols, but the Vols also had a really good defense compared to recent years last season. Many can pin this on the defensive injuries, as they suffered some of the worst injuries they could have. They lost Jermod McCoy before the season started, and also lost Rickey Gibson in the very beginning, as they would both be out for the remainder of the season.

The report was first released by Austin Price from VolQuest (On3 Sports).

The report indicates that the Vols and Banks are parting ways, which is also coming at a solid time, as the Vols will have the chance to search for some of the best coaches they can on the defensive side of the ball. This could be the only staff change that is made, but with the success at certain positions, and the opening of certain jobs, nothing is for sure. The Vols have the chance to be one of the better teams when this is all said and done, but they will need to have the right leadership in order to get things done the right way.

The Vols will now turn their focus on the defensive side of things, as the Tennessee Volunteers have the chance to make an addition to the staff that will be viewed as a step up. A list of possible candidates has yet to be released, but that is likely to come sooner rather than later, as they may even name a DC before they play in their bowl game against Illinois in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 30th.

Stay tuned with Vols on SI for more updates.

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Caleb Sisk
CALEB SISK

Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.

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