What Kelvin Banks and Jahdae Barron said at the SEC Media Days in Dallas
Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks and defensive back Jahdae Barron are here at SEC Media Days from the Omni Hotel in Dallas. They talked about the 2024 season, entering the SEC, and finishing what they started in Austin.
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Kelvin Banks
“I’m just focusing on this season, keeping my feet where they are.” – Banks, on being in the top 10 of 2025 NFL Draft mock drafts
“I have heard a lot about the rivalry. I was too young to remember Justin Tucker hitting the game-winner. It’s a different type of excitement to keep that tradition.” Banks, on the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry
“We lost some key guys to the NFL, but our talent wise is really good, there’s no drop off and we see it in practice.” – Banks
“Just us trying to come in and gain respect from our opponents. I feel like that’s the biggest thing for us, coming into a new conference, gaining respect and understanding that we respect them but we want them to respect us as well.” – Banks, on why Texas is a great fit in the SEC
“Do you like football? Do you love football? Or, do you live football? I’m living football.” Banks, after teammate Jake Majors recently returned from an O-Line retreat and asked him
“It gives you confidence because the more you can spend time with a guy and play with him the more you can jel with him. And even then we have guys behind Quinn and other back-ups as well who would gel into our playbook and scheme as well. So it’s very exciting.” – Banks, on quarterback Quinn Ewers
Jahdae Barron
“Me and Andrew (Mukuba) and (Michael) Taaffe been around each other for eight years. We love working together and I’m proud of those guys.” – Barron, on fellow Austin products
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“I prayed a lot. I leaned on Coach Sark, Quandre Diggs, Michael Huff, and once I made that decision to return, I’ve been ready for a great season.” – Barron, on skipping the NFL Draft and returning for one more season
“He’s a genius. That man right there is a genius from the standpoint of us having a record of 5-7 and giving up those amount of points that year going from 8-4 and 12-2, I mean, like, if you could describe one person in one word I would say growth. That’s somebody I can trust to make me a better person on and off the field as a man so I appreciate him.” – Barron, on Sarkisian
“He made me a better player and a better person. At the University of Texas, they produce talent, and you can see it over the years.” Barron, on Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian
“It’s going to be amazing… That game will mean a lot for the UT community.” – Barron, on the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry
“Starting off, to wear 23 is to honor a friend that passed away, Tardrick Fowler. We called him Trollie. He passed away. From Austin, Texas. But that was something to do for him and I felt like me coming back and things like that, it felt like a point where I did a lot to honor him, to honor 23, and stuff like that. And 7 is something I always wanted to do. I had to ask Huff and Coach Sark for their permission and they granted that permission and let me wear 7. But being able to wear 7, it means a lot to me watching Michael Huff’s highlights and things like that. I was so young, but being able to watch the highlights and look at him and wanting to do better than him in that number. When he gave me the number I told him I wanted to do better and I told him I am always striving for greatness and it’s so hard to do better in a number that somebody was so great in, but I know it’s going to push me to be my best self on and off the field.” Barron, on the number change
“I mean, I feel at those three positions those are all important positions and things like that. You know, at the nickel it’s so much that can go on but I feel like at the nickel you’re kind of more in the game. At corner you tend — as a corner, people tend to get — they can lull you to sleep, you know? Coach (Terry) Joseph used to tell me when I played primary corner my sophomore year, he used to tell me you can only change the game five plays in the game and you have to stay awake for those five plays so it’s always different. At nickel you’re in there, you’re in the trenches. I can be in the run game, I can be a perimeter guy, I can be in the slot guarding one of their best receivers. It’s all different things. I can be boundary safety and coming in for the gap and things like that, but boundary safeties, they play the curl flats and things like that. At the end of the day they’re all good positions for me and anybody on the defense that we have right now and everybody is capable to play everything.” Barron, on ranking the nickel corner back and safety position, your preference?
