The season is over for most football programs, and coaches are rooting out the bad-performing elements. Tennessee’s Josh Heupel has fired DC Tim Banks, adding yet another spot in the coaching carousel. The exit presents a lucrative opportunity for coaches seeking a fresh start.

Banks’ defense was giving up 395.5 yards per game this season, ranking 88 in the nation and 3 worst in the SEC. It was a huge disappointment for the former DC, who created one of the best defenses in 2024. It was the reason why Tennessee could fight for a playoff spot that year. This year, Tennessee was a nightmare when it came to tackling and ranked among the worst in the SEC in pass defense.

Josh Heupel now gets to sift through an interesting mix of coaches to replace Tim Banks. Here are 3 names that can be of interest.

Willie Martinez, Current Secondary Coach

The Vols can always begin the search within their staff first before moving out. Secondaries coach Martinez is a veteran coach at Knoxville and is wrapping up his 9 season with the program. He’s been here long enough to know the Tennessee defense like the back of his hand. Martinez has been in the profession for nearly 30 years.

Martinez recruited and developed star CB Jermod McCoy, whose absence due to an injury was greatly felt during the season. The coach has also produced stars like Theo Jackson and Alontae Taylor. During his first stint with the Vols, Willie Martinez’s DBs were averaging 13 interceptions per season. He has also been a DC in the past, at Grand Valley State, UCF, and the University of Georgia.

Martinez is known for his time with the Bulldogs as DC, where he ran a 4-3-style base defense. UGA’s defense finished 8 in scoring defense in 2005, 8 in total defense in 2006, and 8 in sacks in 2007. Martinez has also spent a considerable amount of time with Josh Heupel in his career. His tenured career makes him a great option for the now-open DC job.

Todd Grantham, ex-Oklahoma State DC

Grantham was fired by Oklahoma State after building a defense that was among the worst in the country. However, his career has some truly remarkable highs. Grantham brings a mix of NFL and CFB experience to the table, which Heupel can be interested in. Grantham’s D-lines at Indianapolis and Houston set him up for the DC job at Cleveland, where he improved the pass defense to 4 in the league.

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At the collegiate level, Grantham has had stints with Michigan State, Georgia, Louisville, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State. In Georgia, he built a defense that was 5 in the country in total defense. Grantham has developed Georgia stars like Jarvis Jones, Bacarri Rambo, and Sanders Commings. He also spent 2018-2021 under Dan Mullen at Florida, during which he was also targeted by the Bengals for their DC role.

Grantham was also in the running for the Broyles Award after just one season at Mississippi State. Todd Grantham gets to work with some high-profile talent at Tennessee, which could be a factor in his being able to strike a harmony with them. He was struggling at Oklahoma State, which he was tasked with rebuilding from the ground up when he arrived last year.

John Butler, ex-Nebraska DC

Butler hasn’t been a DC for a long time, but he can take advantage of the roster to emerge as a great one at Knoxville. Butler spent 2 seasons with the Huskers, with 2024 being a far better season than 2025. He shaped a really promising defense in 2024, which ranked 17th in the country in pass defense. Butler struggled this season, as he could restrict three opponents to under 20 points.

This season, John Buttler had the second-best pass defense in the country, which allowed only 141.1 yards. However, the run game took a serious hit, with the defense giving up 171.2 yards on the ground. Butler was fired after Nebraska lost 3 of its last 4 conference games, but he can still be an interesting option for Josh Heupel.

The former DC has had stints in the NFL. Butler has had a prolific stint at Buffalo, spending 6 seasons here. As a secondary coach, he helped the Bills’ defense finish first in a lot of categories. He has also worked with Penn State, where he had an average-performing season as DC. John Butler has worked in numerous other college football programs, including Texas, Harvard, and Minnesota.