Following Tennessee football’s firing of defensive coordinator Tim Banks, Josh Heupel has named linebackers coach William Inge as the interim defensive coordinator of the program, a source tells RTI.
Inge is finishing up his second season with the Vols after being hired by Heupel to replace the departing Brian Jean-Mary, who left for Michigan. Inge has experience as the associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator for Washington under Kalen DeBoer, for the team that went to the playoffs. He was also the defensive coordinator at Fresno State, Indiana, Buffalo and Northern Iowa throughout his career.
Inge, a 51-year-old from Kirkwood, Missouri, played at Iowa from 1993-96. He spent one year with the Tennessee Titans before beginning his coaching career back at Iowa.
“William is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable linebacker coaches in the country,” Heupel said when he hired Inge in 2024. “He has a proven resume of success and understands what it takes to compete for championships on the defensive side of the ball. William is also a great family man, and I know our players and coaches will enjoy working with him. We are excited to welcome his family to Rocky Top.”
More From RTI: Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks Reportedly Fired After Five Seasons With Josh Heupel
Banks joined Heupel at Tennessee in 2021 to be his defensive coordinator and safeties coach. After inheriting a roster well behind the SEC standard, he helped turn the unit into arguably the best in the country in 2024. The defense was nearly the sole reason the team made the College Football Playoffs, while the offense struggled.
However, this past season, the defense came plummeting back down to earth. The Vols ranked third-to-last in the SEC in yards allowed per game (395.3) and points allowed (28.8).
Banks has been a defensive coordinator since 2007. From 2007-09, he served in the role at Central Michigan. From 2010-11, he was the co-defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. Then, from 2012-15, he was at Illinois as the defensive coordinator.
In 2016, Banks got the job under James Franklin as the co-defensive coordinator at Penn State. He stayed there until 2020, then hopped over to Knoxville to join Heupel. There was buzz about the potential of Banks rejoining Franklin at Virginia Tech, but the Hokies hired former head coach Brent Pry instead.
