Texas target Banks overcomes family tragedy
Football is only game. It’s a lucrative and an important game for those who play and watch faithfully, but it’s still a game. Life is more import
ant. Family is first. Spring Dekaney’s Marcus
Banks is a four-star cornerback who released his top five on Sunday night. He’s also had his life reshaped after the recent passing of his father, Bobby, who played at Florida State.
“It has been chill (on the recruiting front) because of the tragedy in my family,” Banks explained. “The schools understood that and gave me some time.”
It’s been just over a month since Banks lost his father
and he spoke briefly about his recovery process before the Under Armour All-America Camp Series at Spring Westfield on Sunday.
“I’ve been trying to take it day by day,” he said. “Some days are harder than
other days. It’s weird because it is not the same anymore. I have to just deal with it and keep faith in God.”
Banks put in another solid camp performance and will be at The Opening Final this summer. The 6-foot, 170pound prospect is the No. 12-ranked player on the Fabu- lous 55, making him the toprated cornerback in Texas. His former teammate, tight
end Malcolm Epps, signed with the Longhorns in the 2018 class and is still recruit-
ing Banks for the Longhorns. The four-star prospect is down to five schools: Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama a nd Au b urn. Texas and LSU appear to be the leaders heading into his official visits. Banks will visit UT this weekend for the OrangeWhite spring game and again on May 4 for his official visit. He’ll take an official visit to Texas A&M on April 27 and plans on setting up official visits to his other three final- ists before the end of the spring period.
“I talk with Malcolm about the process and how to handle official visits. He had a fun time, so I’m excited to see what Texas has in store for me,” Banks said. “Malcolm is recruiting me hard. He wants me to pick a school that is best for me, but he
wants me to go to school with him.”
Banks has family in the Baton Rouge area, making
the Tigers a real contender for his signature if Banks doesn’t mind leaving the state. He gets a text from the LSU staff every morning and the Tigers are doing a great job of including Banks’ mom, Leah, in the process.
“I like the LSU program. They do a great job devel
oping defensive backs and sending them to the league,” he said. “My family ties there also make it intriguing and one of my favorites.”
Banks was reluctant to name a leader heading into his official visits. He plans to commit to a school before his senior season.
Banks is the best cover cor- ner in the state and a pros- pect that assistant coach Jason Washington and the Texas staff have spent years building a relationship with, tracing back to Washington’s time as an assistant at Houston. Texas was the first major offer for Banks and he’s the top in-state target at the position for the Longhorns in the 2019 cycle a year removed from signing the state’s best three prospects at the position in 2018.
The Longhorns play in a pass-happy Big 12 with teams that spread the field. Texas wants to play with six defensive backs on the field to help match up and improve the speed on the field. The key to that scheme is to sign elite corners each cycle that excel at man-to-man coverage.
Texas is also in the mix for Georgia native Kenyatta Watson II and California native
Chris Steele.