Tim Banks on linebacker group: Those guys will get what they earn

The linebacker group was not a huge strength for Tennessee football last season. Injuries and a lack of depth left defensive coordinator Tim Banks without a lot of options as the season wore on. In 2022, though, Banks believes he’ll have a deeper, replenished corps of ‘backers.

He recently spoke with Eric Cain in an interview, and Cain asked him how the linebacker room had developed since the end of the season. Here was Banks’ response:

“Yeah we definitely have more options. Obviously, you don’t have a ton of experience in that room outside of the guys that did play [last season]. But again, I think we’ve got more guys at every spot quite honestly. Whether it’s DBs, whether it’s D-Line, linebackers, etc. Anytime you have numbers, the expectation is that you get what you earn. So I know it’ll be a lot of guys fighting for playing time, which in turn, helps us play better as a defense.”

Banks also likes that he has a number of younger players ready to step in if need be.

“Right now, going into the summer, obviously, we asked some guys to sign early. Elijah [Herring] comes to mind. Who we thought as a freshman had a really good spring campaign. He’ll be better than he was coming out of spring. And with the returning guys, we feel like we have some numbers and we have some experienced guys and those young guys. We think those guys are gonna push really hard to try and earn some playing time.”

Tennessee may not feature the linebackers as the biggest strength of their defense, but Tim Banks doesn’t plan on the group being a liability in 2022 and for years to come.

Banks goes in-depth on freshman LB Elijah Herring

During that same interview, Cain specifically asked about linebacker Elijah Herring and what he has brought to the table since enrolling early this spring.

Here were Banks comments regarding the true freshman and what he’s shown early on:

“We love his size. We love his mentality. He’s a guy who’s never satisfied, you know. He’s one of those guys you have to kick out the weight room, kick off the field. He just wants to be good. That starts with his upbringing and how he’s raised and how important football is to him.”

Banks then re-emphasized Herring’s impressive size. But noted it may take time before he’s ready to play big snaps.

“The next thing you think about to me is just his size. He’s a big, strong, strapping linebacker who still has some athleticism. Again, wasn’t ready coming out of spring. But as he continues to work at it, we think the sky’s the limit with him. It won’t surprise me if he’s fighting for some playing time this year.”