AGOURA HILLS, Calif. — Former UTSA defensive lineman Eric Banks has signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams, the organization announced late Saturday.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Banks played in a UTSA-record 48 career games, primarily at defensive end. He finished his time as a Roadrunner with 81 tackles (52 solo), 20.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and five forced fumbles, which puts him fifth on the program's all-time list. He was a key member of a defense that set UTSA single-season records for tackles for loss (96), tackles for loss per game (8.0) and sacks per game (2.2).
Banks started all 12 games at defensive end during his final campaign in 2019. The Memphis East High School product posted 23 total tackles, 15 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
He recorded a sack for a 10-yard loss and ended up with four tackles and a forced fumble against Army on Sept. 14 and also registered four tackles versus Florida Atlantic on Nov. 23. Banks posted four stops, including a sack, in the season finale against Louisiana Tech. He recovered a fumble in the final seconds to secure the 31-27 Homecoming win over Rice on Oct. 19 and he had a sack for an eight-yard loss at Texas A&M on Nov. 2.
As a junior in 2018, Banks made three starts and played in all 12 games. He posted 22 total tackles, 15 solo stops, five tackles for a loss, one sack and a quarterback hurry.
He played in all 11 contests and drew six starts in 2017, recording 24 tackles (13 solos), 8.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one pass breakup and a QB pressure.
Banks saw action in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2016. He registered 12 tackles (nine solos), 3.5 TFL, two sacks, a pair of QB hurries and one forced fumble.
Banks' signing marks the third straight year a UTSA defensive lineman has moved on to the NFL, as Marcus Davenport was the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and Kevin Strong Jr. signed a free-agent deal with the Detroit Lions last year. Upon reporting to rookie minicamp, Banks will be reunited with Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson, who tutored the same position group at UTSA in 2016.
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