Texas Longhorns College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2023

Q. I want to talk about the NIL collectives. That’s something that’s really changed the experience of college athletes, I think, that most fans don’t even understand. Can you talk a little bit about how it’s affected you, the fact that that collective exists?

KELVIN BANKS: It’s definitely affected me in many ways, me being able to have the opportunity to help my family earlier than what possibly I could be helping my family, also just getting to go out in the community, helping people out in need. You never really understand how good you got it, I would say, or how grateful you ought to be in the position you are until you see other people’s situation. And just being able to see the smile on their face, knowing that they probably haven’t had a good day or aren’t going to have a good day. So it’s been real special to be able to be a part of that.

Q. Is there some particular place you remember going as part of that that really struck you?

KELVIN BANKS: I think it’s called the Side by Side Kids. It was kind of like a little day they had — how do you say it? A play day? I forgot what it’s called. But it’s a little play day. We went out there and helped them out and just made sure they had fun. You could definitely tell they were excited to see us. They had a little water fight, and they were chasing us all over the place. That was fun. And then we went to Dell Children’s hospital before and went up there and seen the cancer patients, and just being able to listen to their story. Most of the time, we really didn’t say much about it, just trying to have them forget about it. But you know what I’m saying, just having fun with them and seeing them smile. That was fun.

Q. Is there something particular you’ve been able to buy or somebody you’ve been able to help with the money you got out of it that’s really struck you?

KELVIN BANKS: Definitely my parents. It’s kind of been a big thing for me just to help them. And now that I can do that at an early age in my life, it just means a lot to me just being able to see the burden be lifted off their back.

Q. You were part of the recruiting class that came right after Horns with Heart started, when they made that big splash. You’re a recruit and you see these guys saying, look, you can make money and be in college. What did you think when you saw that offer?

KELVIN BANKS: It was definitely something that struck your eye, you would say, but it definitely didn’t make the decision for my recruitment. I understood where the NIL route was going. But in my eyes, it was kind of like you want to go where it’s best for yourself. But it definitely was something that caught my eye.

Q. It wasn’t the only factor, obviously. Can you describe sort of what your thought process was, what role it played in your thinking when you were thinking about do I choose Texas or a million other places?

KELVIN BANKS: Just definitely thinking about how I could fit myself in that program and how the coaches could better me. And I definitely thought Coach [Kyle] Flood was the best option.

Q. I was talking to Coach [Kenny] Harrison at Summer Creek, and he showed us a video of you kind of doing a pull block, killing a guy, to every single person that comes in there. It reminded me of the Big 12 pull block. What is that physicality? How do you turn that on? You’re a nice, quiet guy off the field. How do you turn that on?

KELVIN BANKS: Whenever you step on that field, you kind of know. You feel the jitters. You feel the butterflies running through your body when the game has started and just knowing that you’re going to go out there and physically dominate that other guy, and also not wanting to be embarrassed on TV. So it’s kind of like a mix of everything, just wanting to do good for your coaches and your teammates and wanting to show people that, hey, I’m not just here to have the name of Texas on my chest; I want to represent my family as well. So it’s kind of just that feeling.

Q. How cool was it watching the alma mater make it all the way to the state game?

KELVIN BANKS: It was very cool to watch that game. I was there; so it was a good experience just to see how happy everybody was to get there.

Q. That area produces a lot of offense. What’s in the water out there that produces that position so well?

KELVIN BANKS: Honestly, I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you if there was anything in the water. But like you said, they do produce a lot of O linemen. We’ve got Nate Kimmel that’s out there coming to Texas as well; so it’s a good area.

Q. How hard was it to start as a true freshman at a position like left tackle against an opponent slate that had a couple of NFL guys?

KELVIN BANKS: It was definitely a tough challenge, especially I feel like the biggest thing for a freshman is having the technique to get to your spots and do the right thing. I feel like my technique has taken leaps and bounds from my first year and also the confidence that you should have in yourself. You should never doubt yourself. You should never feel like, hey, I’m a freshman; this guy’s a fifth-year senior or he’s a junior going to the NFL. So you’ve got to have that confidence in yourself knowing that, hey, every time I step out here, he’s here for the same reason I’m here, and just go out there and play football.

Q. Was there a moment in a game or a practice or workout where you went from what am I getting myself into to, hey, I belong here; I can play with these guys?

KELVIN BANKS: I would say the first moment where I was like what did I get myself into was a fall camp day, some sort of pod drill we did. And I had to go versus [Keondre] Coburn and I hit him, and he didn’t move. And I was like, okay, I see. I’ve got to get myself together.

So it was that moment and then just playing in that first game versus ULM. It really let me know, hey, you can do this. Obviously, I had more stuff to work on because it was my first game, but it definitely gave me that mindset of me being able to go out there and actually play with guys that are on that high of a level.