OL Kelvin Banks has two OVs scheduled, Texas expected to get one as well
Similar to fellow Under Armour All-America camp OL participant Devon Campbell, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks has also recently released a top eight. And similar to Campbell, the Longhorns made the cut for Banks, a Rivals100 member out of Summer Creek.
The 6-5, 312-pound Banks was a one-time Oklahoma State commitment before opening up his recruitment back in July of last year. Now, he’s trying to gather as much information as possible on the schools that remain on his list and he’s hopeful he’ll get to take some visits if the dead period is lifted on May 31. In fact, Banks already has two official visits set for June.
“I already have visits set up with Oklahoma State (June 11) and Texas A&M (June 18),” Banks said, before noting two others that will also receive official visits. “I’m for sure going to try to visit Oregon and Texas. I don’t know about the last visit yet.”
Banks is a top target for the Texas Longhorns, with head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood both giving chase. The relationships the new Texas coaches have built have the Longhorns right in the thick of the race for the No. 53-ranked prospect nationally.
“Since I was little, I’ve been a Longhorn fan. It’s always been a diehard dream of mine to play for the Longhorns,” Banks said. “And coach Sark, he’s a great guy. He’s not one of those stuck-up head coaches that don’t want to talk to the kids. He communicates with me every day, asks how I’m doing. We communicated back and forth.
“And I love coach Flood. He’s a great coach. He teaches me technique. We watch technique on Zoom. I’m just getting a feel for how he coaches.”
It’s not just the Texas coaches that are recruiting Banks on UT’s behalf. Running back commitment Jaydon Blue has been actively trying to get Banks to join him, and Banks said Texas quarterback commitment Maalik Murphy is in contact quite a bit as he too is trying to get Banks to become a part of the Texas program.
“I’ve known Jaydon for a long time, since I was about 12 or like 11. He’s just been in my ear trying to get me to go ahead and be a Longhorn,” Banks said. “It has a lot (of impact). It's always good when you have a five-star running back recruiting you, probably the best recruiting back in 2022 and being able to block for him.
“Maalik Murphy has been talking to me a lot. He’s just telling me to join the family.”
If things go well and Banks is able to take summer official visits, he’d like to get his commitment out of the way before he begins his senior season. His top eight consists of Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss and he said it’s tough to put any schools from that group above the others.
“It’s a very tough decision right now because all of them are recruiting me very hard,” Banks said.