Head coach Josh Heupel leads Tennessee against Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. Cole Moore/RTI
Tennessee football will have a new defensive coordinator going forward. Josh Heupel made the decision to fire Tim Banks, who has served in the role since Heupel got to Knoxville as the head coach in 2021.
After making the decision public, Heupel released a statement detailing his decision.
“I want to thank Tim for everything he has done for Tennessee the last five seasons,” Heupel said. “He helped restore our program to national prominence. More importantly, Tim is a great man of character and someone I have the utmost respect for. We wish Tim all the best moving forward.
“These are tough decisions but one I ultimately felt was necessary for the future of our program. We are fully committed to identifying our next defensive coordinator who will uphold the standard that Tennessee has historically been known for.”
More From RTI: William Inge Named Interim Defensive Coordinator for Tennessee After Firing of Tim Banks
The search is now on for Tennessee’s next defensive playcaller. Heupel will also need to address Banks’ role as the safeties coach. Willie Martinez is currently on staff as a secondary coach, though.
Filling in for Banks as the defensive coordinator in the meantime will be William Inge. The linebackers coach, who is finishing his second year under Heupel at UT, will be the interim defensive coordinator with the Music City Bowl against Illinois on deck.
Inge has experience across multiple schools as a defensive coordinator, including as the associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Washington under Kalen DeBoer for a team that went to the College Football Playoffs. He will likely be an option to be promoted to the full-time role, though a search of all options is expected.
Banks joined Heupel at Tennessee in 2021 to be his defensive coordinator and safeties coach. After inheriting a roster well behind the SEC standard, he helped turn the unit into arguably the best in the country in 2024. The defense was nearly the sole reason the team made the College Football Playoffs, while the offense struggled.
However, this past season, the defense came plummeting back down to earth. The Vols ranked third-to-last in the SEC in yards allowed per game (395.3) and points allowed (28.8).
