Florida defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag] has put on a show the past two weeks, and his seven quarterback pressures against Ole Miss on Saturday was the most among defensive tackles in college football during Week 13, according to Pro Football Focus.
Banks, a Louisville transfer, finished the week with 2.5 sacks, one quarterback hit and four more hurries. He also posted a career-high four tackles in the upset victory. Banks led all Power Four defenders in quarterback pressures this week, and only two edge rushers finished with more (8) throughout the FBS.
“It was just confidence,” Banks said to Noah White of FloridaGators.com. “We knew we were a great defensive line. We just needed to believe in ourselves.”
It’s the second notable performance from Banks in as many weeks. He had eight pressures — one sack, two quarterback hits and five hurries — against LSU a week ago, which ranks second among all FBS defensive tackles. Only Washington lineman Sebastian Valdez finished with more (9) and the other three players ahead of him are edge rushers.
“Last year, played against LSU, and on the third play of the game Emery Jones kind of got me a little block, like blindsided me a little bit,” he said after the LSU game. “He got me, he got me, and Will Campbell, he pancaked me twice last year. It was a little personal, you know, with those two tackles, and knowing that they’re going first round, so it’s like I can prove myself and show that I can be where they’re at too, like I can play at the same level as them, and I’m better than them.”
Banks’ recent breakout has been a timely revelation for the Gators’ defensive front. Without him, the two upsets might not happen. Banks has played 407 snaps this season for Florida, but a good chunk of them (118) have come over the past two weeks.
He’s been limited to 28-37 snaps for most of the year, but Florida had him on the field for 60 of 79 defensive snaps this week. Pro Football Focus gives Banks a season grade of 75.7 overall on defense — good for 13th in the SEC (min. 100 snaps) — and a 75.4 as a pass rusher (6th in SEC, 26th in FBS).
The big question for Florida following Banks’ breakout is whether or not he will turn pro following the 2024 season. Draft eligible as a junior, Banks has to decide whether he wants to be a mid-to-late round pick in the spring or play another year in Gainesville as the team’s question No. 1 in the defensive trenches.
Florida has Cam’Ron Jackson at the same position as Banks this year, but he’s out of eligibility as a fifth-year senior. The Gators will also see Desmond Watson and Penn transfer Joey Slackman depart the position room this offseason, leaving less experienced linemen such as sophomore Kelby Collins and JUCO transfer Tarvorise Brown on the depth chart to learn behind Banks.
It seems like a no-brainer for Banks to return to Florida, but a strong draft evaluation could persuade him to enter his name into the draft.
Next up for Florida
The Gators wrap up the 2024 regular season schedule in Tallahassee for their annual rivalry game against the Florida State Seminoles. The game will take place inside Doak Campbell Stadium and will kick off at either 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET; broadcast details have yet to be determined.
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