Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340947
tions with coaches who he grew up with, and they trust him. Because they have a good program, and they have connec- tions and they have relationships, they're able to go in there and recruit players." The coach to whom Tucker was refer- ring is Tim Banks. In charge of Penn State's safeties from 2016 to earlier this month when he left to become defensive coordinator at Tennessee, Banks is a De- troit native who attended Martin Luther King Jr. High School and went on to be- come a two-time All-Mid-American Conference cornerback at Central Michigan. His first full-time assistant coaching job was at Ferris State in Big Rapids, and he spent three seasons as defensive coordinator at his alma mater before heading off to Cincinnati and eventually to the Big Ten. That's about as Michigan-centric as a resume gets. This is a guy who presumably doesn't need to spring for the GPS unit at the rental car counter when he touches down at DTW. During Banks's tenure at Penn State, the Nittany Lions signed nine Michigan prospects. Included in that total is one quarter of the team's latest class. Penn State landed four players from Michigan this year, and they are among the most highly regarded members of the class. Twin brothers Kobe and Kalen King of Cass Tech in Detroit both earned four- star ratings from Rivals.com, Jaylen Reed is another four-star signee out of Banks's high school alma mater, and Ja- mari Buddin is a three-star prospect from Belleville High in between Detroit and Ypsilanti. With that talented quar- tet, Penn State landed as many Michi- ganders as Michigan State and nearly as many as Michigan, which signed six. When he was asked last spring about his recruiting ties to the Detroit area, Banks said his lifelong connections had given him the kind of credibility that a coach needs in order to attract players to a school that's hundreds of miles from home. But he added that hometown ties by themselves are insufficient. "You still have to do a great job of vet- ting the right people, making sure that the kids truly understand what Penn State brings to the table," said Banks, who was recently named one of Rivals' top 25 recruiters of the year. "It is a chal- lenge, and I don't take it for granted just because that's where I'm from. I know >> DOUBLE TROUBLE The King twins, Kobe (above) and Kalen (opposite page), both received four-star ratings after excelling for Cass Tech. They'll be looking to anchor Penn State's defense in the years to come. Photos cour- tesy of Rivals.com