The Cardinal Countdown: 88 Days Until Kickoff

#88 Jeffrey Banks

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-2/218

Position: Tight End

Hometown: Olive Branch, MS

Twitter: @_Jaybanks_11

Thoughts: Banks was a preferred walk-on from Pearl River CC a couple seasons ago because honestly, I think Petrino sat down one day and saw that he had recruited 27 wide receivers and 12 quarterbacks, and was going to have a major issue at the tight end spot in the next couple years. It was almost as if he thought Hikutini had seven years of eligibility or something. The number of total receptions from the TE group dropped in 2017 after Cole’s departure, which was understandable, but in 2018 that catch total (32) was the lowest it’s been from that group since 2012. If you want to point to the QB position for the drop, or lack of depth, or even coaching (Klenakis) I’ll listen to that argument but I will not buy into lack of talent. Micky Crum, Averett (early season), Jordan Davis…they had the bodies to make some plays and it just never happened. So, with Crum and Averett gone, what now?

In 2019 Satterfield and Coach Holt will be looking for some new stars to emerge. To help with depth at the position the Cards grabbed Ean Pfeifer from Vanderbilt and also recently handed out a full scholarship to Marshon Ford, a walk-on who had been playing really well in the Spring. If you read Keith Wynne’s breakdown early this year of the App State offense you likely saw that the tight end spot is used quite a bit, just not to catch balls. While the position isn’t non-existent in the offensive stat line the more important role without question is being a blocker. As a quick comparison to the stat above, last season App State only had 28 balls caught from the TE spot, and only 15 the season prior (2017). That mental/physical shift in responsibility for the group could allow for new players to emerge, such as Mr. Banks. Jeffrey (Jay) got some PT last year against Kentucky and has enough size to make an impact at that position. Unfortunately an injury held him out of Spring ball so the staff didn’t get to see a ton from Banks just yet. Satterfield likes running two tight end sets which means 3-4 guys need to be ready to go at all times. While we continue to watch Davis develop and one would assume Pfeifer or Ford would also contribute, Coach Holt still needs a couple guys to fill those spots. Banks will have a shot to show he can do just that.

Sweet Tweet:

I have my opinion, but really there is only one that counts….