Charles Bankins enters his second season at Vanderbilt as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach under James Franklin.
After working alongside Franklin at Maryland in 2009-10, Bankins brought
his special teams expertise to Vanderbilt last year and quickly gave the Commodore program improved play in the third phase of football.
Bankins' special teams lived up to Franklin's promise of special teams excellence, helping spark Vanderbilt's eventual berth in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The Commodores' kickoff return and net punting ranked among the top five in the SEC. The Commodores also were splendid in punt and kickoff coverage. In a midseason game against Georgia, his units produced three big plays: - a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown, a blocked punt, and a 35-yard pass completion on a fake punt that resulted in a key first down.
Bankins' special team schemes made fourth downs fun to watch for Commodore fans. The team converted several fourth-down fakes.
Prior to arriving at Vanderbilt, Bankins distinguished himself at Maryland. In 2010, Terrapin special teams played an instrumental part in one of the most impressive year-to-year turnarounds in the NCAA as Maryland improved seven games in the win column enroute to a 9-4 overall season.
Bankins has experience coaching offense, defense and special teams. He also has coached at three levels of football: the National Football League,
collegiate and high school level.
In 2010, Bankins' demonstrated his special teams expertise by mentoring Maryland punt returner Tony Logan to first team All-ACC honors. Logan, who returned two punts for touchdowns, also topped the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 18.8-yard punt return average. In 2009, another Bankins' standout at Maryland, Torrey Smith, earned All-ACC honors by breaking the conference single-season record for kickoff return yards. Smith now plays with the Baltimore Ravens. Bankins also groomed Nick Ferrara to freshman All-America honors as a placekicker in 2009.
Prior to working with Franklin at Maryland, Bankins enjoyed success as an assistant at the University of Richmond from 2007-08. In Bankins' final game as a Richmond coach, the Spiders claimed the 2008 NCAA FCS national title with a victory over Montana.
Bankins oversaw Richmond's superb special teams in 2008 when the Spiders ranked 27th nationally in punt returns and 22nd in kickoff coverage. In 2007, Richmond returner Justin Rogers was named the conference's Special Teams Player of the Year after posting a 30.4-yard kickoff return average.
Bankins had two stints at Hampton University (2000-04; 2006) and spent 2005 with the St. Louis Rams. While serving as an assistant special teams coach in St. Louis, the Rams improved from 32nd to 17th in NFL special teams rankings.
Bankins also coached a year at Indiana (Pa.) University and James Madison. He started coaching at his alma mater, Leonardtown H.S., in 1995.
Bankins played running back for James Madison, where he earned a
bachelor's degree in speech communications in 1994. He earned a master's from Eastern Kentucky in 1998.
Bankins and his wife, Katrina, are the parents of a daughter, Ashley, and son, William.
The Bankins File Personal Date of Birth: Aug. 4, 1972 Hometown: Leonardtown, Md. Alma Mater: James Madison, 1994 Education: Bachelors, James Madison, 1995; Masters, Eastern Kentucky, 1997 Family: wife, Katrina; daughter, Ashley; son, William
Bankins' Coaching Career 2011-current - Vanderbilt (special teams coordinator/tight ends)
2009-10 - University of Maryland (special teams coordinator/tight ends) 2007-08 - Richmond (special teams coordinator/running backs) Teams Coordinator/Running Backs 2006 - Hampton (offensive coordinator/QBs/running backs) 2005 - St. Louis (assistant special teams coach) 2000-04 - Hampton (running backs/recruiting coordinator) 1999 - Indiana (Pa.) University (wide receivers/tight ends) 1998 - James Madison (wide receivers/tight ends 1996-97 - Eastern Kentucky (graduate assistant in '96, wide receivers in '97)
