Tennessee Football and head coach Josh Heupel made a massive move on Monday with the firing of defensive coordinator Tim Banks. The move comes after Tennessee’s defense regressed significantly from the 2024 season, finishing the 2025 campaign as the SEC’s third-worst scoring defense. Banks, a member of Heupel’s inaugural UT staff in 2021, had been with the program for five seasons.
The hunt now begins for a new defensive coordinator on Rocky Top. There isn’t a shortage of viable candidates who could come in and reshape the Vols’ defense, and now it’s up to Tennessee to find the right one.
Chris Low, a respected college football insider for On3 Sports and a host on The RTI Low-Down, offered up two interesting tidbits regarding the Vols’ defensive coordinator search on Monday night. Low says that Tennessee will work quickly to make the hire and is willing to throw some money around for the right guy.
“Would expect this one to be done pretty quickly,” Low posted on X. “Vols made Banks one of the highest-paid DCs a year ago and will be willing to pay big money again.”
Tennessee signed Tim Banks to a new contract in January 2025 that made him one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football. His buyout will reportedly be in the $4.3 million range.
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In the meantime, Tennessee has tasked veteran linebackers coach William Inge with the interim defensive coordinator duties while the search is ongoing. The Vols are set to play in the Music City Bowl at the end of the month on Dec. 30 against Illinois.
On Monday, RTI’s Ryan Schumpert released his list of ten names to watch in the Vols’ coaching search. Inge, someone who has been on the Tennessee staff for two years and previously coached in the National Championship game for Washington, was on that list, albeit as a probable fallback option. Other notable names included Ryan Walters, Jim Knowles, Jerod Mayo, Travaris Robinson, and more.
During Tennessee’s run to the College Football Playoffs in 2024, Banks orchestrated a UT defense that gave up just 16.1 points per game. That mark ranked third in the SEC and seventh nationally.
Tennessee battled injuries throughout the 2025 season, including playing the entire season without star cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III, but the Vols’ unit as a whole still regressed. Tennessee allowed 28.75 points per game this season, including giving up more than 30 points in every SEC game except one. The Vols allowed 44 to Georgia, 34 to Mississippi State, 31 to Arkansas, 37 to Alabama, 34 to Kentucky, 33 to Oklahoma, 45 to Vanderbilt, and 11 to Florida.
“I want to thank Tim for everything he has done for Tennessee the last five seasons,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said in a statement on Monday. “He helped restore our program to national prominence. More importantly, Tim is a great man of character and someone I have the utmost respect for. We wish Tim all the best moving forward.
“These are tough decisions but one I ultimately felt was necessary for the future of our program. We are fully committed to identifying our next defensive coordinator who will uphold the standard that Tennessee has historically been known for.”
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more news on Tennessee Football’s upcoming defensive coordinator coaching search.
