Tag: jeff banks

Former Longhorn Emmanuel Acho is excited about Texas football

Former player turned analyst, Emmanuel Acho, released a video on Twitter discussing how excited he is about the team.

It isn’t just the media that seem excited or in approval of the hiring of Steve Sarkisian and his staff. ESPN gave the Texas Longhorns a grade of A- for the hiring. Also, a former player in Emmanuel Acho spoke about his excitement level in a tweet.

The now analyst was once roaming the confines of Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Acho joined the Longhorns in the 2008 recruiting class as a four-star and the No. 23 ranked player in the state of Texas. He would go on to play in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, but is now a member of Fox Sports.

In the opening of his video, Acho spoke to the fact that the Longhorns got it right with the hiring of Sarkisian. Even went as far as to say that he hasn’t “been more excited about Texas football in a decade.” That would date back to the end of the Mack Brown era of Texas football that saw a string of nine or more wins in 12 consecutive years. Brown also was responsible for nine-straight seasons with 10 or more wins.

Acho spoke specifically about the hire of Sarkisian as the best offensive coordinator in the SEC. He mentioned the best special teams coach from the SEC in Jeff Banks. The Fox analyst also couldn’t go on without mentioning his former teammate in Blake Gideon. He was the best special teams coach in all of college football during the 2019 season. Acho would point to the fact that special teams are vitally important to championship level teams.

He finishes up by discussing the additions of Kyle Flood who helped his offensive line with the Joe Moore Award and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. His defenses have produced first-round talent for the NFL, something Texas hasn’t seen in five years. Not to mention, Kwiatkowski’s defense has finished top 15 in scoring every year since 2015.

To be a great head coach, you have to be a great delegator of responsibility. And Steve Sarkisian has assembled a miraculous staff. Texas football, get excited.

Acho is bringing the same level of excitement in his tweet that has been seen on most social media platforms.

Nobody wins the offseason quite like the Texas Longhorns.

Texas Football Recruiting: Four-star safety Zion Branch lists top 11 schools

Texas is still in the running for four-star safety Zion Branch out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Texas is still in the running for four-star safety Zion Branch. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native plays for Bishop Gorman High School — one of the premier football programs in the entire country.

Four Pac-12 programs are included among his top 11 schools, as well as traditional powerhouses such as Alabama, LSU, and Ohio State. It’s worth noting that Jeff Banks is listed as Branch’s main recruiter for the Crimson Tide. Banks is expected to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff in Austin.

Texas already has one defensive back in the 2022 class in four-star cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau. If the Longhorns end up being the destination for Branch, it would be another great defensive back added to their rich history.

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 50 2 4
Rivals 4 43 1 4
ESPN 4 91 2 6
247 Composite 4 53 2 3

Vitals

Hometown Las Vegas, Nevada
Projected Position Safety
Height 6-2.5
Weight 190

Recruitment

  • Offered on April 8, 2020
  • No visit yet

Top 11

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

Roll Horns? Texas adds top Alabama assistant, recruiter to coaching staff

Steve Sarkisian has made the biggest move during his stint as the Texas head coach. Jeff Banks will be heading to Austin to join his staff.

Steve Sarkisian has made the biggest move during his short stint as the Texas head coach.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports, Jeff Banks will head to Austin to join Sarkisian’s staff. He will serve in multiple roles as the assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.

More importantly, Banks is one of the best recruiters in the country. He has very strong ties to the state of Texas, dating to his time working at Texas A&M. According to 247Sports, Banks is responsible for landing 12 top 200 blue-chip prospects, including three five-stars.

Banks is the latest coach from the Alabama staff to move to Texas. Former Crimson Tide offensive line coach Kyle Flood will keep the same position with the Longhorns while adding the offensive coordinator title.

This is the type of hire that will take Texas’ recruiting to another level. Banks was one of the key contributors to Alabama’s 2021 class, which has the chance to become one of the best ever. He, Flood and Sarkisian working together will bring the same pedigree to Austin as they did in Tuscaloosa.

A name to watch with Banks moving to Texas is Camar Wheaton. The five-star running back committed to Alabama after early signing day but has not signed his letter of intent. Banks was the lead recruiter for Wheaton and will look to flip him to the Longhorns.

[listicle id=31490]

5 potential hires to fill Alabama’s offensive coordinator position

Alabama football is on the search for a new Offensive Coordinator for the 2021 season as Steve Sarkisian accepts the Texas head coaching job

With the news of Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian accepting the head coaching job at Texas, the Crimson Tide carousel of assistant coaches continues to spin.

Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Golding are currently both in their second consecutive season with the team, which seems like a rarity, as most Alabama assistants are sought after by other programs across the country.

Recruiting players is not enough for head coach Nick Saban, he usually recruits assistants in the offseason, and that’s what he’ll likely have to do in order to find a new offensive play caller for the 2021 season.

Here are five potential candidates to replace Steve Sarkisian for the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator position: