There has been plenty of speculation that perhaps the Tennessee football team would be in need of a new defensive coordinator for the 2025 campaign. First, Tim Banks was linked with the Miami DC opening, but according to a report, he turned down an offer from Mario Cristobal.

Then, Banks was also mentioned as a potential replacement for Wes Goodwin, who was fired by Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. So, a move to the ACC was going to be on the way for the talented assistant coach? Not so fast. According to Scott Hamilton of the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., Banks is out of the running for the Clemson job too:

Tim Banks is no longer in the running to become Clemson’s new DC

So, if Banks won’t be going to Clemson or Miami, is it safe to assume that he’ll be back in Knoxville for the 2025 campaign? We think so, but nothing has been made official yet. Banks’ contract with the university is up soon, so an extension needs to be agreed to.

A good sign, however, was that Banks was out on the recruiting trail with Heupel earlier in the week. Do we really think Banks would be trying to build relationships with 2026 recruits and their coaches if he had no plans to be with the Vols moving forward? Yeah, that’d be unlikely.

The Vols defense was superb throughout the season. Outside of the loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff, there really wasn’t much for Tennessee fans to complain about for that side of the ball. Banks did a tremendous job with his playmakers and now all signs are pointing to his SEC career with Tennessee continuing.

A lot of UT supporters were concerned when both Miami and Clemson were showing strong interest in poaching him away from Heupel and the Volunteers. Again, nothing is set in stone and a new contract hasn’t been signed, but if Banks isn’t going to be ACC-bound like a lot of people thought, then it’d be a surprise if he’s not donning orange come next fall. Bringing him back will be big for Heupel and the program as a whole.