2 pleasant surprises for Texas football from first 2 weeks

Kelvin Banks, OT

One of the most impressive offensive linemen for OL coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and the Longhorns through the first two games of the season was clearly the former elite five-star recruit and true freshman offensive tackle Kelvin Banks. In the last couple of weeks, Banks was nearly spotless in pass protection.

Banks was also a big-time contributor to the success that Texas found on the ground, especially in the win in the opener over ULM back on Sep. 3.

Through the first two games of the season, Banks is actually the highest-graded of the starting offensive linemen for the Longhorns in pass protection. He has only allowed two quarterback pressures, along with no sacks and no QB hits in the first two games of his collegiate career.

Thus far, Banks has registered an effective rating in pass protection of 98.5. Meanwhile, the average effectiveness rating for starting FBS offensive linemen this season sits around 97.1 through the first few weeks of the college football season.

Those are some really impressive markers for the 6-foot-5 and 320-pound Banks, who is making quite the impression around the college football landscape. He just had to match up against the star Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. last weekend, and he came away without allowing much pressure at all on his quarterback.

Banks has taken the role of a real model of consistency and reliability along the offensive line just a couple of games into his career. You can’t mention any pleasant surprises for the Longhorns so far this season without mentioning what Banks brought to the table in the last two weeks.