HOOVER, Ala. — Texas A&M punter Braden Mann made a lights-out first impression during his initial encounter with Jeff Banks, even if it meant bending the rules a bit.

During his recruitment, the Cypress, Texas native was looking to catch the eye of the former Texas A&M special teams coach while attending an Aggies camp. The only problem was he couldn’t get the proper audition.

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A year younger than Texas A&M’s main targets at the time, Mann was put in a separate group from the older punters in the camp. Paired with the other younger campers, he was supposed to work outside while the older specialists worked with Banks indoors.

“I don’t know if I ever told (Banks) this part, but I snuck inside when nobody was looking,” Mann said with a grin. “I got in that group, and I ended up hitting a light in the indoor facility during a kickoff. Right then and there he asked me where I was from and who my name was and stuff like that. That decision to sneak into that group was really what got me to A&M.”

The outcome ended up benefiting both parties. Mann earned the Ray Guy Award last season, leading the nation with an average of 50.8 yards per punt. This year, he’s the lone specialist attending SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.

While Banks might have helped discover Mann’s talent, he left Texas A&M before he could truly reap the rewards of his good fortune. The two spent a pair of seasons together in College Station, Texas before Banks left to join Alabama in January of 2018.

During his two years under Banks, Mann was only tasked with kickoff duties. However, the punter claims the brief stint was still influential on his development.

“He just said go out there and do your thing,” Mann said. “That’s what I’ve been doing the past few years, just going out and not worrying about it too much, just going out and doing my thing.”

Mann described Banks as a “workhorse,” stating that he brings a different level of energy to practice. The other thing Banks brings is experience. The special teams coach was a two-time all-conference punter for Washington State and led the Pac-10 with a 43.4 punting average during his senior year.

“That’s one of the things that’s different about him,” Mann said. “A lot of special teams coaches don’t know what it’s like to be a punter, and he did.”

Last season Banks was named named Football Scoop’s Special Teams Coordinator of the Year. His unit ranked No. 5 in opponents punt return average, No. 12 in punt return average and No. 19 in kick return average. The Crimson Tide was also able to record touchdowns on both kick return and punt return.

However, one of Alabama’s biggest weaknesses stuck out like a sore thumb — or toe for that matter. The Crimson Tide ranked No. 128 out of 130 Division I schools, averaging just 35.76 yards per punt last season.

Those struggles came as Skyler DeLong struggled to live up to his high expectations during his freshman year. The former highly-rated recruit averaged just 34.44 yards on 16 punts before giving way to walk-on Mike Bernier midway through the season. Bernier didn’t fare much better, averaging 38.04 yards per boot.

Mann sympathized with the Alabama duo Tuesday, stating the pressures of performing at the SEC level can get the best of anyone.

“You just got to really not think about it too much, not think about the pressure of it,” Mann said. “There’s a lot of added pressure because every play (on special teams), you don’t get that many of them. You’ve got to make them all count.”

Entering his second season with Alabama, Banks already appears to be turning things around. This spring, the Crimson Tide was offered a bit of encouragement as DeLong averaged 47.5 yards on four punts, sailing two of his attempts 50 or more yards while twice pinning his opponents inside the 20. Meanwhile, freshman Will Reichard averaged 42.2 yards per punt on six attempts.

If Mann’s past experiences are any indication, those are the performances Alabama should come to expect moving forward under Banks.

“He really put an emphasis on it,” Mann said. “He really made it a true third of the game. He didn’t really put it off as a play in between offense and defense. He really thought that he could change the game.”

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