What Steve Sarkisian said about Kelvin Banks going to the New Orleans Saints
After Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks was picked by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian provided a significant amount of praise for Banks in a statement released by the school.
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“I think Kelvin’s your perfect Longhorn,” said Sarkisian. “I’ve said this all along, I would tell any player coming into our program, if you want to be great, be like Kelvin Banks. His demeanor, his work ethic, his drive, his attention to detail, his ability to remain consistent in his approach on and off the field, it all shows in his play. He’s a high-level player who obviously has all the measurables that the NFL is looking for in a great left tackle, and he started there for us from the day he arrived as a freshman. In just his second career start, he had to block (Alabama’s) Will Anderson and Dallas Turner as a true freshman and didn’t flinch. He had a great game, and that was just the beginning of a tremendous career here at Texas.”
“Kelvin had to block so many of the premier defensive ends in the country during his time here, but the thing about him that I know the NFL really values, and we do too, is reliability. You can absolutely count on him. He was here every day and showed up with a constant level of consistency – who he was some of the time was who he was all of the time. When you can couple that with the skill set, the measurables and knowing that he’s still only played three years of college football, he is an absolute no-brainer of a first-round pick. He’s accomplished so much, but his best days are still ahead of him, and the Saints are so fortunate to have him.”
