Who Will Replace Tim Banks Tennessee Football Defensive Coordinator

Penn State's Jim Knowles has emerged as Tennessee football's top candidate to replace Tim Banks as defensive coordinator, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Dec. 10. Knowles is regarded as one of the best veteran defensive coordinators in college football. He coached Ohio State's defense en route to the 2024 national title, which included a 42-17 win over Tennessee in a College Football Playoff first-round game. Thamel reported that Knowles is negotiating his buyout with Penn State, where he spent the 2025 season. A year ago, Penn State hired Knowles and made him the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football at $3.1 million per year.

Knowles served as Duke defensive coordinator (2010-17) under former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe. And he was Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator (2018-21) before a memorable stint at Ohio State (2022-24). Tennessee fired Banks after Tennessee's defense took a downward turn in 2025. The Vols allowed at least 30 points in seven of eight SEC games. They ranked 92nd nationally in scoring defense (28.8 ppg) and 116th in pass defense (248.8 ypg). Josh Heupel shook up his coaching staff on Monday, firing defensive coordinator Tim Banks after five seasons.

This is the first time in five years that Heupel has fired an assistant coach. Banks received a contract extension last offseason after the Vols made the College Football Playoff largely on the back of the defense. However, the unit took a massive step backward in 2025, and it was clear that a change needed to be made. With Banks gone, who will the Vols turn to at defensive coordinator? William Inge has already been named the interim DC for the bowl game, but the team is expected to conduct a thorough search for the full-time job. Now, let’s identify five candidates who could be realistic candidates for the DC job on Rocky Top.

Muschamp is currently working for the Georgia Bulldogs as a defensive analyst. The veteran coach has twice been the head man at an SEC school- with Florida from 2011-14, and with South Carolina from 2016-20. Muschamp was also the DC at Auburn in 2015. Tennessee football fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks on Dec, 8, and now coach Josh Heupel is looking for his replacement. Here are 10 names the Vols could consider for their next defensive coordinator. Ryan Walters checks a lot of boxes.

He is an accomplished defensive coordinator, serving in that role at Missouri (2016-20), Illinois (2021-22) and Washington (2025). In 2022, Illinois allowed only 12.9 points per game, the fewest in the nation. Walters has ties to Heupel. He coached with him at Oklahoma (2012) and Missouri (2016-17). And Walters is capable of running his side of the football while Heupel focuses on offense. Walters was the coach of Purdue in 2023-24, getting that job at 36 years old.

He is now 39. With Tim Banks Fired, Who is Favored to be Tennessee’s New DC in 2026? Who is the Top Candidate to Replace Tim Banks? The Volunteers will be playing in a bowl game for the seventh straight season dating back to 2019. In fact, Tennessee has won at least eight contests in a year for the 4th consecutive season. However, the program made a significant coaching change before the upcoming Music City Bowl vs.

Illinois. More than a week after the regular season finale, the Vols fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks after five seasons. It is unknown who will take over top defense calls on an interim basis. Banks currently has a buyout clause of nearly $4 million. At the time of the coaching change, the 8-4 Volunteers took a step back from a year where they played in the College Football Playoffs. Tennessee football fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks on Dec, 8, and now coach Josh Heupel is looking for his replacement.

Here are 10 names the Vols could consider for their next defensive coordinator. Ryan Walters checks a lot of boxes. He is an accomplished defensive coordinator, serving in that role at Missouri (2016-20), Illinois (2021-22) and Washington (2025). In 2022, Illinois allowed only 12.9 points per game, the fewest in the nation. Walters has ties to Heupel. He coached with him at Oklahoma (2012) and Missouri (2016-17).

And Walters is capable of running his side of the football while Heupel focuses on offense. Walters was the coach of Purdue in 2023-24, getting that job at 36 years old. He is now 39. Monday morning, Tim Banks was informed by Josh Heupel that he would not be retained as Tennessee's defensive coordinator. Things appear to be heating up when it comes to the coaching search. On3's Chris Low and Griffin McVeigh are reporting that Tennessee is planning on hiring former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to fill the vacancy.

BREAKING: Tennessee is set to hire former Penn State and Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as its next DC, @clowfb reports. https://t.co/m8x4CMi2bT pic.twitter.com/TdHfeibYDk Some people might consider this a home run hire. I don't, as I think Tennessee hit a grand slam. To put it simply, Josh Heupel couldn't have done a better job with this search, as Knowles is considered one of the best defensive minds in all of football. Heupel got it done swiftly and hired an elite coach.

But the story doesn’t end there. Jim Knowles was a major reason why Ohio State won the College Football Playoff last season. I hate to bring it up, but when Tennessee played Ohio State in the playoffs last year, Knowles' defense held Tennessee to just 256 total yards and 17 points. They were a dominant group, and it showed. Less than a week after firing defensive coordinator Tim Banks, Tennessee is hiring Penn State's Jim Knowles to replace him, according to a report from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Knowles, who spent one season at Penn State after winning a national championship as Ohio State's defensive coordinator a year ago, will now move on to his third school in as many seasons following...

Penn State let go of James Franklin, who hired Knowles last offseason, and finalized a deal with Matt Campbell over the weekend. Shortly thereafter, Tennessee moved on from Banks, a Broyles Award finalist for top assistant a year ago, after the Vols regressed significantly on defense this season. The opportunity to land Knowles, a veteran defensive coordinator who is considered one of the top minds in the sport on that side of the ball, was too much to pass up. Tennessee will close its season on Dec. 30 in the Music City Bowl against Illinois. Josh Heupel shook up his coaching staff on Monday, firing defensive coordinator Tim Banks after five seasons.

This is the first time in five years that Heupel has fired an assistant coach. Banks received a contract extension last offseason after the Vols made the College Football Playoff largely on the back of the defense. However, the unit took a massive step backward in 2025, and it was clear that a change needed to be made. With Banks gone, who will the Vols turn to at defensive coordinator? William Inge has already been named the interim DC for the bowl game, but the team is expected to conduct a thorough search for the full-time job. Now, let’s identify five candidates who could be realistic candidates for the DC job on Rocky Top.

Muschamp is currently working for the Georgia Bulldogs as a defensive analyst. The veteran coach has twice been the head man at an SEC school- with Florida from 2011-14, and with South Carolina from 2016-20. Muschamp was also the DC at Auburn in 2015. I think Colin Hitschler is the man for the DC position. He’s done an amazing job at James Madison. No doubt about it in my mind that he’s the one Heupel should go for.

GO BIG ORANGE!!

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