Where should Miami go for vacant defensive coordinator role?

This is an interesting name to watch is your a Miami fan. Tim Banks has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the nation for the last several years. The ringleader of Tennessee's stout defense has had plenty of stops and roles along a coaching career that's spanned nearly three decades. Banks first began as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green before being the defensive backs coach at D2 Ferris State for two seasons. Then, Banks returned to Bowling Green.

In 1999, he served as the Falcons' running back coach before switching over to familiar territory. After serving as the DB coach for Bowling Green in 2000, he moved over to Memphis. He spent a year as an outside linebacker coach and another as a defensive backs coach for the Tigers. Starting in 2003, Banks would be at Maryland. The first three were as a inside linebackers coach before having another role as a defensive backs coach in 2006.

In 2007, he went back to his alma mater at Central Michigan. This was where Banks was given his first defensive coordinator position. He was a cornerback at CMU from 1991 to 1994. For three years, the Chippewas slowly improved from the worst defense in the MAC, to one of the best. In 2009, CMU was fourth in the MAC in yards allowed per game. From there, Banks would become the co-DC and DB coach for Cincinnati over the next two years.

Starting in 2012, Tim Banks would serve as the DC and DB coach at Illinois, until 2015. His next job at Penn State was where Banks really started getting some notoriety as one of the top assistants in college football. From 2016 to 2020, he was a co-DC and safeties coach. Banks helped in leading the Nittany Lions to three top-5 rankings in the Big Ten for total defense. Then, in 2021, the now 53-year old, has been serving as Tennessee's DC and safeties coach.

Banks came over at the start of the Josh Heupel era. Just like the entire program, at the start, Tennessee struggled at the beginning of the tenure. However, over the least two years, the Vols finished in the top 5 for yards allowed in the SEC. This season, the defense ranked second in the conference in yards allowed. The unit only allowed just over 16 points per game. The defense was a major reason as to why the Vols made the expanded 12-team College Football playoff in 2024.

In the team's 13 games this past season, Tennessee allowed 20 points or fewer, 10 times. With the evident progress that Banks has instilled on the defense, you might wonder why he would want to leave Knoxville. Well, it's very simple. 2024 was the final season on the Michigan native's contract. The university hasn't showed full commitment to giving out an extension. So there is plenty of uncertainty regarding his future with the team. The lack of an extension has left Banks open as a potential candidate for other jobs across major college football. ACC rival Clemson is also interested.