Longhorns Kelvin Banks Named Pro Football Focus Top-10 OT

Texas Longhorns freshman Kelvin Banks has emerged as one of the top pass protectors in college football, and Pro Football Focus gave him high marks for 2022

Matt Galatzan | Feb 4, 2023

The Texas Longhorns hauled in an elite offensive line group in the 2022 class, with a handful of those players making an instant impact on the field.

That said, perhaps none of those freshmen made as big of an impact as left tackle Kelvin Banks, who immediately stepped in as the blindside protector for quarterback Quinn Ewers in Week 1, and kept that spot for the entirety of the season.

And now, Banks is beginning to garner the praise he deserves, recently being named a top-10 offensive tackle in the country for the 2023 season by Pro Football Focus.

Said PFF on Banks:

Banks dominated as a pass protector. His 3.5% pressure rate allowed on true pass sets ranked sixth among Power Five tackles. His 98.4 pass-block efficiency score was also second among Big 12 tackles, behind only Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison — a top-25 prospect on PFF’s big board. Banks could become one of the best offensive linemen in the nation next season if he continues developing as a run-blocker, where he earned a 64.9 grade.

What was even more impressive about Banks' on-field success in 2022, however, was the fact that he did not arrive on campus as an early enrollee, instead joining the program after spring football had already concluded.

And despite missing out on those critical months of preparation and on-field reps, Banks was still one of the best offensive tackles in the Big 12.

Heading into next season, with a full offseason including spring football ahead of him, Banks could take a big leap forward and finish the year as one of the top NFL Draft prospects in the country.

Luckily for the Horns, they will have him around for a minimum of two more seasons, with Banks not eligible to enter until the 2025 draft.

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Want to see the Horns in action? Get your Texas Longhorns game tickets from SI Tickets here!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter

Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.

Published Feb 4, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.