The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 4/4/3 Football’s Banks earns Jacobs Blocking Trophy
12.11.2024 | Football
Texas’ Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award finalist receives SEC’s most outstanding blocker honor.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has received the Southeastern Conference's Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the league's most outstanding blocker as determined by the conference's head coaches.
The 6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Humble, Texas, and 2024 Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award finalist will go down in history as the first Longhorn to win the prestigious SEC blocking award. Earlier this week, Banks was tabbed first-team All-SEC on offense.
A three-year starter who has started 39-straight games at left tackle for the Longhorns, Banks is a key member of the Texas offensive line that was recently tabbed a finalist for the Joe Moore Award which goes to the nation's most outstanding offensive line unit. Banks received multiple weekly honors this season, including the Outland Trophy's National Player of the Week on Oct. 15, and SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice (Sept. 30 and Oct. 14). Prior to the season, Banks was named preseason first-team All-America by The Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN, Sporting News and The Athletic in addition to being honored on the preseason first-team All-SEC by the media and league's coaches.
With Banks' veteran leadership in the trenches, UT's offense ranks No. 13 in the FBS in passing offense (281 ypg), 15th in team passing efficiency (154.92), 16th in completion percentage (66.3 percent), 18th in total offense (445.4 ypg) and 25th in scoring offense (33.6 ppg). The Texas offense has rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of 12 games and three different Longhorn running backs have each registered at least one 100-yard effort.
Through 14 games, Texas' offense is averaging 445.4 yards per game, 33.6 points per game and 6.2 yards per play. UT is averaging 164.4 yards on the ground per game and 4.5 yards per carry with 21 rushing scores. The Longhorns are averaging 281 yards through the air each game and have scored on 34 passing touchdowns.
By rushing for 240 yards against Texas A&M on Nov. 30, the Texas offense has now rushed for 100-or-more yards in 11 of 14 games this season. It was the fourth time this season (and the third time in the last four games) the Longhorns have surpassed 200-or-more rushing yards after also doing so against ULM, Florida and Arkansas. Banks has paved the way for several standout drives recently, including the second drive of the game against Texas A&M, which went for 10 plays and 93 yards and resulted in a touchdown that provided a 7-0 lead, which was a lead the team would not surrender in the game and helped the Horns clinch an SEC Championship game berth as a first-year league member.
Against Kentucky, the Banks and the offensive line cleared the path for an epic 15-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that lasted 8:22 and consisted entirely of rushes. The drive started at 11:32 and ended at 3:10 to extend the lead to 31-14. At Arkansas, Texas was able to run out the last 6:55 of the game, earning four first downs in the process, to prevent the Razorbacks from having another possession and secure the win.
Behind Banks' protection, junior QB Quinn Ewers Ewers has completed 233-of-352 passes (66.2 percent) for 2,665 yards and 25 touchdowns while averaging 242.27 yards per contest in 11 starts. A finalist for the Manning Award, Ewers sits 17th in the FBS in passing touchdowns (17), 23rd in completion percentage (66.2 percent), completions per game (21.18) and points responsible for per game (14.4). Ewers boasts a 24-game passing touchdown streak – the longest active streak by an FBS quarterback and the second-longest streak in program history behind Colt McCoy's program-record 29 games. The Southlake, Texas, product ranks third and fourth in the program's record book in passing touchdowns (61) and passing yards (8,321).
Texas will be making its second College Football Playoff appearance in as many years after earning a No. 3 ranking in the CFP poll and the No. 5 overall seed. The Horns will host No. 13/13/16 Clemson at 3 p.m. CT Saturday, Dec. 21, inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in the CFP first round. The game will broadcast on TNT with Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (color analyst), Taylor McGregor (reporter) and Laura Rutledge (reporter) on the call. The first-round winner will advance to the CFP Quarterfinal at the 57th Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and face the Big 12 Champion and No. 4 seed Arizona State at Noon C.T. on Jan. 1, 2025, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will air on an ABC/ESPN platform.
