Relationships Paying Dividends For Banks, Penn State in Class of 2021
For Penn State safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Tim Banks, in recruiting, they’re all personal.
Thursday’s addition of Jaylen Reed to the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2021 was especially so, though.
Hailing from Detroit himself, the fifth-year assistant welcomed a Rivals250 member and four-star prospect to his room not just from his home town, but also from his high school alma mater, Martin Luther King High. The verbal pledge came amidst 31 total scholarship offers including seven other Big Ten programs.
His intimate familiarity with the region again helped pay dividends in the addition of Reed.
“I think if you're in the Midwest, which is in the Big Ten footprint, you're fighting all of the major players,” Banks said Thursday morning. “I grew up there. I played in the area. I've coached in the area. And I think that's awesome, but at the same time, you still have to do a great job of vetting the right people, making sure that the kids truly understand what Penn State brings to the table. So it is a challenge.
“I don't take it for granted because that's where I'm from. I know the young men that come out of that area. A lot of them are very blue-collar, hard-working, and are just looking for an opportunity to continue to grow, not only as an athlete but academically. I feel like obviously, Penn State gives that in spades.”
Of course, Banks and the Nittany Lion coaching staff were forced to fight this latest recruiting battle in an unconventional time.
Prevented from hosting recruits on Penn State’s campus because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Banks said that he and the staff have relied on many of the same tools and techniques that have become standard in recent years, even with the disruption to normalcy.
“I think recruiting in general still comes down to one great ingredient, and that's relationships. We're working really hard to stay connected,” Banks said of the Lions’ recruiting effort. “Obviously, it's challenging, but with the way social media is right now all these smartphones, we still have the ability to reach out, text, receive some incoming calls. There's just a lot of technology out there that allows us to stay connected to these young men and their families.
“To be honest, the only thing that's really missing is the opportunity to get to guys on campus. When we get them to Happy Valley, it is a plus anytime we can have them around. But at this point, it's just trying to work really hard to stay connected through social media, texts and phone calls when we can.”
The message within those methods of communication has remained the same, touting Penn State’s combination of athletic and academic standards, but Banks said he isn’t getting passive now.
Welcoming the program's latest high-level recruit from Michigan, joining recent additions from the state that include linebacker Lance Dixon, Bryce Mostella, Enzo Jennings, and Donovan Johnson on the Nittany Lions' current roster, plus K.J. Hamler, the area has yielded undeniable gains for the program of late. Armed with a lengthy and varied coaching career that has included eight stops before landing at Penn State, with Illinois, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, and Bowling Green within that Midwest footprint, Banks is optimistic that the relationships he’s built along the way will continue to help produce results.
“I'm just not taking it for granted and continuing to go in and act like the area's new to me and turn over every stone, making sure that I'm evaluating every guy, whether he has no offers or has many offers,” Banks said. “I'm just continuing to recruit it as hard as I possibly can to give us an opportunity to be successful.”
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