Tim Banks shares what he looks for in Tennessee recruits

Tennessee has had a stellar offense the last two seasons, meanwhile their defense was the more mediocre unit, although it did experience major growth from 2021 to 2022. Heading into year three of the Josh Heupel era, he and his staff are still trying instill their own philosophies on that side of the ball, especially in the way they recruit.

At a recent press conference, defensive coordinator Tim Banks laid out the team’s recruiting strategy on his side of the ball. Of course, certain preferences vary from one position to the next, but overall, he wants guys that play with toughness and are versatile athletically.

“Yeah, I mean, I think it is a lot of — it is by position, you know, position specific sometimes. But I think overall makeup, you know, you obviously want guys that are tough. You know, guys that are athletic,” said Banks. “And when I say tough, it’s not just physically but mentally, you know. How how much of a competitor are they, you know?”

Banks went on to reveal that multi-sport athletes really pique their interest on the recruiting trail. He likes to see that competitiveness and athleticism come out in areas besides just football.

“We, and I personally, like guys that play multiple sports, you know, guys that love to compete,” Banks continued. “Those things are — you know, to me, sometimes it seems to be a dying art, but anytime you can have a guy that maybe runs track, wrestles, you know, basketball, things of that nature. They’re just used to competing no matter what their arena is. So, to me, that competition piece and being able to compete is a big one. But obviously, size, toughness and athleticism are, you know, things that we that we cherish as well.”

Sounds like Tim Banks wants a lot of versatility within the Volunteer defense. That means…guys who’ve played multiple positions and multiple sports, who can adapt to new positions or hone new skills quickly. Also, guys that are tough and play with physical mindsets. Just some themes that he’d like to see from his unit as they continue to evolve under his and Heupel’s coaching.

So, for any younger recruits who would one day like to play for Tim Banks and Tennessee — play multiple sports. Many high school athletes narrow their focus down to one sport throughout the course of high school and spend so much time with it. But Banks is saying no, that he likes to see kids play many sports. It’s an interesting philosophy.