Colts Defensive Coordinator Candidates: Ephraim Banda

The Indianapolis Colts are looking for a new defensive coordinator, as the team announced they parted ways with Gus Bradley after three seasons in the role.
The Colts' search for a new coordinator should be interesting, as some personnel around the league could see this as being a lame-duck situation with a head coach and a general manager on the hot seat. Still, there are only 32 of these jobs available in the league, so the Colts should be able to nab a quality hire regardless of speculation around the position.
This new series will profile several candidates the Colts are likely to look into in their search. Next up is Cleveland Browns' safeties coach Ephraim Banda.
Background
#Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda on Grant Delpit’s development pic.twitter.com/ChIGyaU75n
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) July 30, 2024
Banda's background in football is rather fascinating, as he began playing college football as a 25 year old walk-on as a safety for Incarnate Wood in 2008. He played at the program for three seasons and was named a special teams' captain for the program's first ever football game. He transitioned to a student assistant in 2011 following a knee injury that ended his playing career.
Banda continued to rise through the coaching ranks at the college level, taking a graduate assistant job at Texas under then-defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. He continued to follow Diaz at his next two stops, spending one year with Mississippi State and then five years with the Miami Hurricanes. Banda was named co-defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes in 2019 when Diaz was promoted to head coach.
Banda's defenses with the Hurricanes ranked number 13 (2019) and number 53 (2020) nationally in total yards allowed per game in his two years as the co-defensive coordinator. He branched out to an assistant head coach/defensive coordinator job with Utah State following a relatively successful run with the Hurricanes.
Banda inherited one of the worst defenses in college football at Utah State and, by all accounts, turned them into a formidable unit. His defense ranked number 77 in total yards allowed per game in 2021 and then number 83 in 2022. Utah State finished with 11 wins in Banda's final season with the program and won the Mountain West conference title.
He made the jump to the NFL game the following season, becoming the safeties coach for the Browns under Jim Schwartz. The Browns had one of the best defenses in the NFL back in 2023 and, despite the team imploding this past year, still managed to produce an adequate season in 2024.
Banda has spent 14 years coaching football with just the past two seasons spent at the NFL level.
Why the Colts Have Interest
#Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda started playing college football in his mid-20s. He worked as a bartender at night and slept on the locker room floor before AM lifts.
— Dan Labbe (@dan_labbe) August 7, 2023
The relentlessness and work ethic he learned from his dad has gotten him here. https://t.co/CBRdHtK1Mu
Banda is a fascinating name in this defensive coordinator search, mainly because he feels completely out of left field. He doesn't have any prior connection to Shane Steichen or Chris Ballard, and he isn't even associated with the coaching trees that those two typically seek out. This interview feels entirely due to word of mouth from others.
That being said, the lack of connections isn't a bad thing. The NFL has a real problem with familiarity and, dare I say, nepotism when making these types of hires. Maybe going away from that trend is what the Colts desperately need in this search to get back on track.
Banda's working history is fascinating, as his two biggest mentors appear to be Diaz and Schwartz. The immediate thought when seeing those two names is an aggressive, attacking defense that dictates play against their opponents. Those two defensive coaches may give up too many explosive plays with their style, but their defenses are predicated on forcing negative plays, sacking the quarterback, and taking the ball away.
Banda appears to be cut from the same cloth, as his defense at Utah State ranked number two in college football in 2021 with 114 tackles for a loss. He likes to mix his fronts and bring bodies from multiple angles to disrupt what an offense wants to do. It may lead to some massive plays for the opposition, but the payoff is more disruption on defense.
In a league where a madman like Brian Flores is dominating with his blitz-everyone approach, a coach like Banda certainly has a place as a defensive coordinator. At the very least, he would be a massive shift in approach from Gus Bradley, who preferred a static attack with keeping everything in front. If Banda were to get the job, the Colts would go from a bend-don't-break to a feast or famine type of defense.
Overall, Banda appears to be a fast riser in the NFL circuit of coaches. From what I've heard, the Browns are enamored with his potential and also view him as a defensive coordinator in the future, so this interview with the Colts seems very warranted. For anybody out there that wants the Colts to drastically shift their approach on defense, Banda might be the candidate for you.
OTHER CANDIDATES
- Dennis Allen, Former Saints Head Coach
- Lou Anarumo, Former Bengals Defensive Coordinator
- Chris Harris, Titans Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach
- Wink Martindale, University of Michigan Defensive Coordinator
- Steve Wilks, Former 49ers Defensive Coordinator
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