Jeremy Banks signs with Tampa Bay Buccaneers as undrafted free agent
Jeremy Banks is headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent after not being selected in the NFL Draft. He joins tight end Princeton Fant (Dallas Cowboys) and offensive lineman Jerome Carvin (Kansas City Chiefs) as former Vols who signed as free agents after the draft.
Tennessee had five players selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Offensive tackle Darnell Wright went at No. 10 overall in the first round Thursday night to the Chicago Bears. Quarterback Hendon Hooker was next at No. 68 overall, taken by the Detroit Lions Friday night, the start of a run of four Vols selected in the third round.
Banks in five seasons at Tennessee recorded 219 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He had three interceptions, eight passes deflected, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
In 11 games last season — he did not play in Tennessee’s loss at South Carolina and did not travel with the Vols — Banks had 53 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. He had a breakout redshirt junior season in 2021, with 128 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, to go with one interception.
Banks, a Cordova, Tenn., native, was three-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting cycle, ranked No. 423 overall, No. 51 at linebacker and No. 12 in the state of Tennessee. He was signed by former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt.
He played running back his first season at Tennessee, rushing 52 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns in seven games as a freshman in 2018. He played in just three games in 2019 and was removed from the football program by Pruitt after he was arrested for a warrant during a traffic stop.
Banks was reinstated to the Tennessee football program by Pruitt in August 2020. He had 28 tackles and 1.9 tackles for loss in seven games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
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Banks announced late on Christmas Eve that he was opting out of the Orange Bowl and Tennessee’s game against Clemson in the New Year’s Six Bowl, choosing instead to train for the NFL Draft.
“It has been a true honor to join my brothers in battle at Neyland Stadium,” Banks wrote on social media at the time, “while playing for the best fans in college football. I’d like to thank Coach Heupel and Coach Pruitt, along with their respective staff members who have taught and led me throughout my time at the University of Tennessee. Thank you for making these past 5 years some of the best moments of my life.”
Banks was a three-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting cycle out of Cordova High School in Cordova, Tenn. He was ranked No. 423 overall in the class and was ranked No. 51 among linebackers. He was ranked No. 12 overall in the state of Tennessee.
“These guys have put so much work into it,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Thursday during an appearance on Ramon, Kayla and Will on 104.5-FM The Zone in Nashville. “You just think back to when I got here and what they’ve done for Tennessee football, flipping the culture, obviously flipping the trajectory.
“Now you get a chance to see them on the backend of their process as they prepare for the next step. These guys have handled it extremely well and cannot wait for the weekend, for tonight for some of our guys. There is nothing better than seeing kids realize their childhood dreams. It’s pretty cool.”
