Tennessee linebacker Jeremiah Telander met with the media on Tuesday afternoon in Knoxville as he and the team continue their prep for the Music City Bowl against Illinois on Dec. 30 in Nashville.
Out of the four players that Tennessee had meet with the media on Tuesday, Telander was the only representative from the defensive side of the ball. That meant that Telander shouldered all of the questions about the coaching changes that Tennessee has recently undergone with the firing of Tim Banks and the hiring of Jim Knowles as the next defensive coordinator.
Telander was quickly asked about his first impressions of Knowles since his hiring, but started off by acknowledging Banks, who served as his defensive coordinator for all three years in Knoxville.
“First off, we love Coach Banks,” Telander said. “I feel like, as a player, we didn’t do enough to keep him here and make him look good. We love Coach Banks and it’s hard to see him go, but like I said, you have to adjust.”
While Telander and the Tennessee defense had to see him go, it won’t be long before they see him again. After being fired at Tennessee, Banks was quickly hired to Alex Golesh’s Auburn staff as the safeties coach. Golesh and Banks spent two years working as the offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022.
Telander then moved into his first impressions of Knowles, a former national champion coordinator with Ohio State, who previously served on Penn State’s staff in 2025.
“Now seeing Coach Knowles, he has a great resume of wonderful defenses and great schemes,” Telander said. “We’re really looking forward to getting to know his scheme and getting to know him more as a coach and it’s going to be great.”
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Telander did acknowledge that there hasn’t been much studying or installation for the new defense because of the Music City Bowl prep, but he’s eager to begin the work when the time comes.
“Extremely excited,” Telander said about learning the new scheme. “I was telling Edwin (Spillman) earlier, I want to get that install as soon as we possibly can so we can start making flashcards and start quizzing each other. It’s going to be an exciting challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”
With Banks out, Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge will serve as the Vols’ defensive coordinator for the bowl game. Inge and Telander obviously have a strong relationship, with the two working together for the past two seasons.
“Right now, we’re just listening to what Coach Inge says, building on a new playbook while also using some of the things we did in the past,” Telander said. “Right now, I’m just fully focused on that. When Coach Knowles wants to implement his defense, then that will be my focus.”
Tennessee will square off against Illinois in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 in Nashville, TN.
Check out Telander’s full press conference from Tuesday below:
