Who is Jeff Banks? Contract Details, History for Texas Special Teams Coordinator

The Texas Longhorns have experienced their fair share of mistakes so far this season but Steve Sarkisian's team still has one of the best resumes in the country and is still in the mix for the College Football Playoff.

However, making the CFP will be hard to come by if the Longhorns are unable to fix their recent production on special teams.

As a result of another week of special teams miscues, the contract details for Texas special teams coordinator Jeff Banks became a topic of discussion, one that could continue into the offseason ig the Longhorns don't show some improvement in the third phase of the game.

Jeff Banks Contract Details Resurface After Ole Miss Game

Texas Longhorns special teams coordinator Jeff Banks against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

As pointed out by Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports, Banks is the highest-paid special teams coordinator in the country with a $1.2 million contract.

While also serving as the tight ends coach, Banks' has a long list of responsibilities each week, and the contract total likely reflects this.

To his credit, Texas has had some impressive success at tight end over the past few years. The Longhorns have seen a tight end selected in the NFL Draft in each of the past three seasons, with Ja'Tavion Sanders, Gunnar Helm and Jack Endries all going pro.

But maybe it's best for Banks to focus on one or the other if the special teams mistakes continue.

Texas Has Failed to Recover Three Onside Kicks Since Last Season

Dating back to last season, the Longhorns have failed to recover the last three onside kicks against them. That almost seems unheard of.

First, there was the surprise onside kick that Georgia pulled off in the 35-10 thrashing of Texas in Athens last season. The Longhorns were looking to rally in the second half and that play completely crushed Texas' spirit.

Then there's this season. Texas nearly could have lost to Tennessee after failing to recover what the SEC eventually deemed what was an illegal onside kick by the Volunteers. Still, the play was ruled legal in real time, allowing Tennessee a final shot at the end zone in a 20-17 win for Texas.

Last week, Emmett Mosley V and Graceson Littleton both had shots at reeling in an onside kick against Ole Miss but failed to do so, allowing the Rebels a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Texas' defense once again held on for a 34-27 win.

The Longhorns may have even failed to recover the last four onside kicks against them if not for Vanderbilt barely coming up short of recovering before the ball went out of bounds late in last year's 34-31 win over the Commodores.

Of course, Banks can't go out there and recover the onside kicks himself. It's also on the players. But three straight failed onside kick recoveries means something needs to be evaluated with the special teams coordinator.

The Special Teams Issues Have Piled On

Aside from the obvious failed onside kick recoveries, the issues on special teams have gone beyond that -- and it has cost Texas.

Most notably, the Longhorns allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown in the loss to Oklahoma, a score that gave the Sooners much-needed momentum in a game where they offense didn't have much success.

Even in wins, the Longhorns have been bitten by special teams woes. In the win over Tennessee, the Volunteers tied the game in the third quarter with a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown by Qua Moss.

Once again, the Texas defense had completely shut Tennessee down until the special teams mistake.

And in last week's win over Ole Miss, the Longhorns surrendered a fake punt on a 17-yard run by punter Oscar Bird that appeared to give the Rebels some momentum as they trailed 24-3. The Texas defense saved the day again with an interception on the goal line later that drive.

Yes, there has been some positive moments. There was Ryan Niblett's 63-yard punt return for a touchdown against Florida or Alex January's blocked field goal against Ole Miss. It's hard for Texas fans to find a balance between giving Banks credit for this or just chalking it up to the players making big plays but the positive results are still there despite the criticism.

Jeff Banks Coaching History

As a former college punter, Banks' transistion into coaching special teams felt seamless when he started off at Idaho State in 2001. He doubled as a running backs coach and special teams coordinator before departing for UTEP for the same two roles.

Banks spent nearly a decade at UTEP before getting his big break at Texas A&M in 2013 under head coach Kevin Sumlin. Along with being the special teams coordinator, the Aggies hired Banks as their new tight ends coach.

Banks served as Texas A&M's interim head coach during the 2017 Belk Bowl after Sumlin was fired, a sign that he could potentially be getting some bigger looks from other programs down the line. Instead, joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama in 2018, where he joined forces with Steve Sarkisian.

He followed Sarkisian to Texas in 2021, and the rest is still history in the making.

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