Tennessee coach Josh Heupel fires defensive coordinator Tim Banks after 8-4 record

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks on Monday, a year after the assistant was a finalist for the Broyles Award.

“These are tough decisions but one I ultimately felt was necessary for the future of our program,” Heupel said in a statement. “We are fully committed to identifying our next defensive coordinator who will uphold the standard that Tennessee has historically been known for.”

Banks had been with Heupel all five seasons at Tennessee after being hired in February 2021 as defensive coordinator away from Penn State. Heupel thanked Banks for helping restore Tennessee to national prominence.

With Banks, the Volunteers reached the 2024 College Football Playoff and ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense by holding opponents to 13.9 points a game. That team lost in the opening round to eventual champion Ohio State.

This season, the Volunteers dropped to 91st in the country, giving up 28.7 points a game. The Vols (8-4) gave up at least 33 points in each of their losses, the last a 45-25 loss to Vanderbilt that dropped Tennessee out of the AP Top 25 rankings.

Linebackers coach William Inge will be the interim defensive coordinator for Tennessee in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 against Illinois in Nashville. Inge was co-defensive coordinator at Washington from 2022-23 and was defensive coordinator at Fresno State from 2020-21.

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