Banks Shot: Can 'Bama Ex Make Instant Impact In Texas?

The Texas Longhorns hire Alabama's Jeff Banks as their Tight Ends/Special Teams coach; can he bring his Alabama Impact to the 40 Acres?

Having already secured the services of multiple former position coaches from Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, new Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian pulled off yet another coup on Thursday afternoon, hiring former Crimson Tide assistant and top recruiter Jeff Banks as the team’s assistant head coach, special-teams coordinator, and tight ends coach.

Banks previously served as the special-teams coordinator and tight ends coach under Saban from 2018 until last week, when he helped Alabama win their sixth national championship in 12 seasons.

Banks also previously worked at Texas A&M under former head coach Kevin Sumlin from 2013-2017, where he played a key role in the Aggies' success.

While known as an elite special-teams coach, Banks made his biggest contributions to both the Aggies and the Crimson Tide off the field and on the recruiting trail, where he helped construct some of the most decorated recruiting classes in recent memory.

In particular, however, Banks is known for his prowess in the state of Texas itself - place where Sarkisian is relatively inexperienced.

In fact, over the years in Texas, Banks has not just been a decorated recruiter, but a dominant one. He has helped the Aggies secure names like Christian Kirk, Kyle Allen and Otari Alaka, among others, and he has helped Alabama finish with a top-five recruiting class in each of the last four seasons, including the 2021 cycle, where the Tide currently sits in the number one spot and are heavily littered with Texas prospects.

So can Banks continue that success with Sarkisian in Austin? All signs would point to the answer being "yes,'' and with the final February signing period just 19 days away, he still has a chance to make an impact on the 2021 class, before it’s too late.