By: Sean Cartell
The first time Shad Banks crossed paths with Joe Price, now UTSA’s associate head coach, it wasn’t under the best of circumstances. Since that time, perhaps no one else has had a bigger impact on the life of the Roadrunners’ redshirt senior inside linebacker.
“I met Coach Price in the seventh grade,” Banks said. “He was called to the middle school because I was getting in trouble. That was my first time meeting him. When he was my coach, he was on me a lot, but I’ve grown so much he doesn’t need to do that anymore. He’s like another father figure to me and he’s helped me a lot.”
It’s been quite a journey for Banks, a Houston, Texas, native who transferred to UTSA in advance of the 2025 season after previously attending both Texas A&M and TCU. A four-star prospect and ESPN’s No. 98 overall player in the nation coming out of well-known power North Shore High School, Banks initially played wide receiver before moving to the linebacker position when he joined the Horned Frogs.
“I tell people all the time that I never really had a position, I was just a football player,” Banks said. “It just worked out that I was the best receiver in my high school. The main difference is that playing receiver is not as physical, but other than just going play to play with 300 pounders, everything else is about the same. It was kind of easy for me because I’ve been playing a lot of different positions my whole career.”
During his time at North Shore, Banks helped the Mustangs to a pair of Texas 6A D-1 State Championships, including a perfect 16-0 record as a sophomore on a team that MaxPreps awarded the high school national championship. He became accustomed to winning, which drove his competitiveness on the field.
“I only lost three games in high school,” Banks said. “High school just made me a real competitor. I hate losing more than I like winning. We won so much there. They taught me how to compete no matter what.”
Banks has been playing the sport since he was four years old. One of his father’s close friends started a little league team and Banks was one of the first to join the squad. But it took meeting Price before Banks ever considered that he could possibly play in college and beyond. Once he hangs up his cleats, he plans to pursue a career as a high school coach, preferably working with wide receivers and becoming an offensive coordinator.
“I love the game, and I’ve played a lot of positions growing up, so I’ve seen it from almost every perspective,” Banks said. “Most definitely I want to coach high school. I feel I can reach a lot of kids, and I can change a lot of lives.”
When Banks made the decision to transfer from TCU, where he played on the Horned Frogs’ 2022 College Football Playoff National Runner-Up team, he was attracted to the culture created by UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor and his staff. In addition to Price, Banks is reunited with fellow North Shore graduates David Amador and Tai Leonard.
Immediately upon his arrival, Banks began making an impact on the Roadrunners’ team. Not only did he become one of the rare players to earn one of the coveted single-digit numbers in his first year in the program, but he also holds the distinction of being the only first-year player ever to garner one of the 2-1-0 numbers representing San Antonio’s area code, as he was awarded the No. 0 jersey.
“I set that goal really early, right after I committed,” Banks said. “I already knew that you had to earn single digits. I told myself that I was going to change as a person, as a player. I wanted to get better every day and make everybody else better and that’s just what I did. I stayed true to it.”
More than anything, coming to UTSA has been an opportunity for Banks - who has started all seven games this season - to change his own life for the better. His impact on the Roadrunners has been felt immediately, as he leads the Roadrunners with 47 total tackles, 29 solo stops, two interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries.
“It feels like a family environment,” he said. “I learned at my other stops, but here it’s the standard. The way they approach it here, it’s easier to understand. Understanding that no matter how you feel, no matter what you’re going through, somebody else is going through the same thing or maybe worse. You have to get up, buckle up and go to work no matter what. The Triangle of Toughness has helped me a lot. It’s about becoming a man.”
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