Following an extensive search, Tennessee has reportedly landed its next defensive coordinator.

Josh Heupel has landed Penn State co-defensive coordinator Tim Banks to serve as the leader of Tennessee’s defense according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Banks has been at Penn State for five seasons and coaches the team’s safeties in addition to having the co-defensive coordinator title with the program. Before landing at Penn State, Banks served as defensive coordinator at Illinois and he also has experience serving as defensive coordinator at Central Michigan.

Banks is a Michigan native and played his college football at Central Michigan, where he was a two-time All-MAC Second-Team selection and was co-captian of the 1994 MAC Championship team.

Hiring Banks would mark the second defensive coaching hire made by Heupel at Tennessee, as the Vols have added former Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner last week.

Tim Banks coaching career

  • 2016-2020 – Penn State (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
  • 2012-15 – Illinois (Defensive coordinator/Secondary)
  • 2010-11 – Cincinnati (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
  • 2007-09 – Central Michigan (Defensive Coordinator)
  • 2006 – Maryland (Defensive Backs)
  • 2003-05 – Maryland (Inside Linebackers)
  • 2002 – Memphis (Defensive Backs)
  • 2001 – Memphis (Outside Linebackers)
  • 2000 – Bowling Green (Defensive Backs)
  • 1999 – Bowling Green (Running Backs)
  • 1997-98 – Ferris State (Defensive Backs)
  • 1996 – Bowling Green (Graduate Assistant)