The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Football - Special Teams Coordinator / TE
A highly regarded special teams coordinator who has extensive experience coaching in the state of Texas, Jeff Banks was named assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Texas on January 22, 2021. Texas enters his fifth season on Sarkisian's staff at Texas.
Under Banks’ leadership, senior tight end Gunnar Helm had a breakout season in 2024, starting in all 16 games and earning semifinalist status for the John Mackey Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and Second-Team All-SEC recognition. The Englewood, Colo., native paced UT in receptions with 60 to go along with 786 receiving yards (13.1 ypc) and seven touchdowns. In Texas’ win vs. Michigan on Sept. 7, Helm led the Horns with seven receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also snared six catches for 77 yards and a score in the CFP First Round vs. Clemson on Dec. 21. Helm was selected in the fourth round (120th overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, marking back-to-back years that Texas has had a tight end taken in the fourth round. UT Kicker Bert Auburn broke the all-time school record for field goals made, and the Longhorn kick return defense paced the SEC and ranked 13th nationally, allowing an average of just 16.57 yards per return. Texas’ punt return unit was fourth in the SEC and ranked inside the top-40 nationally at 10.5 yards per return.
Banks’ special teams unit had a recording-breaking season in 2023, as kicker Bert Auburn connected on a program and Big 12 Conference record 19 consecutive field goals during the regular season. All told, Auburn booted a program best 29 successful field goals and scored 143 points, the most ever for a Texas kicker, to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors. Also on the All-Big 12 First Team was Xavier Worthy, who led the Big 12 and ranked second in the nation averaging 16.9 yards per punt return. As a unit, Texas also ranked 10th in the nation with three blocked kicks and was 16th in the nation with a net punting average of 41.76. Offensively, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, hauling in 45 receptions for a Texas tight end-record 682 yards with two touchdowns.
The 2022 season saw Texas feature one of the top tight ends in the nation, as Ja’Tavion Sanders had a breakout year to earn All-Big 12 Conference accolades. A semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, Sanders caught a Texas tight end record 54 passes, while his 613 receiving yards were the second-most in a season for a Longhorn tight end and his five touchdown receptions were tied for third. Kicker Bert Auburn made 21 field goals, the fourth-most in UT history, and was successful on 80.1% of his attempts (21-of-26), the ninth-best mark for a Longhorn. He finished the season with 118 points scored, the 11th-highest output in the nation. On the year, Texas blocked four kicks, the 10th-most in the nation, including three punts, the seventh-best mark in the NCAA. The Longhorns were 14th in the nation in punt return defense (3.09 yards/return) and 22nd in kickoff return defense (17.23 yards/return).
In 2021, Texas tied for the NCAA lead with four blocked punts while ranking fourth nationally with five total blocked kicks. The four blocked punts were the most by the Longhorns since 2009 (five) and tied for the seventh-most in program history. Additionally, the Longhorns ranked 10th in the nation in punt return average allowed (2.86) and 38th in punt return average (10.13). Cameron Dicker was named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, while also being named first-team All-Big 12 as a punter and honorable mention as a placekicker after ranking ninth nationally in punting average (46.8 ypp) and 14th in the field goal percentage (13-of-15, 86.7).
Banks arrived in Texas after completing three seasons on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama working alongside Steve Sarkisian as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach during which time the Crimson Tide posted a 38-3 record, playing for two National Championships and winning one in 2020.
He spent the previous five years in the same role at Texas A&M (2013-17), and nine years as special teams coordinator and running backs coach at UTEP prior to that (2004-12) for a total of 14 in the state of Texas.
During the Crimson Tide’s run to the 2020 National Championship, the Alabama special teams did not allow a blocked kick or blocked punt and ranked ninth nationally in punt return average (14.95), 25th in kickoff return average allowed (18.18) and 30th in punt return average allowed (4.4). Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who took over punt return duties late in the season, averaged 21.5 yards per return on 11 attempts, including an 84-yard touchdown. Smith did not meet the minimum number of returns per game to be ranked by the NCAA, but his average would have led the nation. Placekicker Will Reichard was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award and did not miss a field goal (14-for-14) or extra point (84-for-84) during the season.
In the tight end group, Miller Forristall led in receptions with 23 catches for 253 yards and one touchdown, while Jahleel Billingsley led in receiving yards with 287 and receiving touchdowns with three on 18 receptions.
The 2019 season saw the Crimson Tide’s special teams units highlighted by Jaylen Waddle who earned first team All-America honors while leading the nation in punt returns, averaging 24.4 yards per return with a touchdown. He also returned five kickoffs for 175 yards and a score. Reichard kicked well early in the season but saw his year derailed by a hip flexor injury that forced him to miss eight games. Joseph Bulovas filled in and hit 8-of-11 field goals. Walk-on Ty Perine, Reichard, Skyler DeLong and Mike Bernier shared the punting duties and combined to average 39.9 yards per punt.
Injuries also hampered Banks’ tight end room with Forristall missing four games while leading the unit with 15 catches for 167 yards and four touchdowns. Major Tennison added three grabs for 21 yards and a score while former offensive linemen Kendall Randolph and Chris Owens converted to tight end midway through the season and provided Alabama blocking in the run game.
In his first season in Tuscaloosa, Banks saw his punt return defense rank fifth nationally (2.67 ypr) and his punt return unit finish 12th in the country (14.71 ypr). The Tide was also third in the SEC in kickoff returns with an average of 23.77 yards per return. Waddle was named the SEC Freshman of the Year while ranking second in the SEC in punt return average at 14.6 yards per return with one touchdown. That 2018 campaign also saw Bulovas connect on 14-of-18 field goals with a long of 49 yards with 44 touchbacks on kickoffs. Alabama won the SEC Championship and played for the National Championship that year.
His tight ends Irv Smith Jr. and Hale Hentges also excelled with Smith earning second team All-America honors. Smith caught 44 passes for 710 yards and seven touchdowns, which was a school record for tight ends. Hentges hauled in three touchdown passes while proving essential to the Tide’s rushing attack. Smith went on to be drafted 50th overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Hentges was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts, has also played for the Washington Football Team and then was signed by the Vikings.
Banks came to Alabama after five years as the tight ends and special teams coordinator for Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M. The Aggies boasted one of the nation’s top special teams units in 2017, ranking third nationally in net punting (42.29 ypp) and second nationally in punt returns with a 17.1 average and two touchdowns. Punter Shane Tripucka ranked sixth nationally in punting with an average of 45.5 yards per punt. Banks’ units were also No. 1 nationally with eight blocked kicks during his final year in College Station.
In 2016, the Aggies led the nation in punt return average at 25.39 yards per return with four touchdowns. Returner Christian Kirk led the nation individually in punt return touchdowns with three while averaging 21.7 yards on 13 returns. Texas A&M also ranked seventh nationally in net punting in 2016 with a 41.58 yard average.
The highlight of his first season with the Aggies in 2013 was the development of punter Drew Kaser and placekicker Josh Lambo. Kaser broke the Texas A&M single-season record with a 47.4 punt average while being named a first team All-American and being selected as a finalist for the Ray Guy Award. Kaser was a sixth-round NFL Draft pick of the Chargers in 2016. Lambo connected on 80 percent of his field goal kicks and was 50-of-51 on PATs. The Aggies also blocked an SEC-high three kicks, ranked third in net punting (39.4) and finished second in kickoff return defense (18.3).
Prior to arriving at Texas A&M in 2013, Banks had a brief stint as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Virginia after having coached running backs and coordinated special teams for nine years at UTEP (2004-12).
During his time in El Paso, Banks oversaw one of the top special teams units in Conference USA, as the Miners led the league in special teams statistics in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, UTEP led the conference in net punting with a 40.1 average and punt return defense with a 3.1 yard average. The Miners allowed just 65 yards on 21 opponent punt returns. UTEP also ranked No. 3 in kickoff returns (23.8 avg.) and No. 4 in punt returns (10.1). That same season, UTEP blocked four kicks and returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns.
The 2011 season saw UTEP lead C-USA in punting (40.5 avg.), rank second in kickoff returns (26.3 avg.) and wrap up at third in kickoff coverage (44.4 avg.). The Miners rated fourth nationally in kickoff returns and sixth in net punting, and the team blocked three punts while executing successful fake kicks for first downs on the road on three occasions. In 2009, a Banks pupil, Donald Buckram, broke UTEP’s single-season rushing record that had stood for over 60 years by rushing for 1,594 yards.
Banks served as an assistant coach at Idaho State from 2000-03, where he was the special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator and running backs coach. Idaho State led the nation in net punting twice in his three seasons. He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant under Mike Price at Washington State from 1998-2000, where he worked with the offense in addition to the punters and kickers.
As a player, Banks was a two-time all-conference punter for Washington State, posting a 42.8-yard average as a junior and 43.4-yard average as a senior. In his final season, he led the Pac-10 and was No. 15 nationally while helping the Cougars go 10-2 and earn an invitation to the Rose Bowl. Banks was also selected to participate in the Senior Bowl.
A native of Upland, Calif., Banks has a daughter, Sydnei, and two sons, Gage and Tanner. Banks earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Washington State in 1999.
