Former Texas Longhorns cornerstone Kelvin Banks Jr. brought one of college football’s strongest durability records into the NFL.
That run is now headed for its first interruption.
The New Orleans Saints left tackle suffered a severe high ankle sprain and is expected to undergo surgery, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sept. 21. Banks is out indefinitely, although Rapoport added that the 22-year-old has a chance to return late in the season if his recovery proceeds well.
Banks, one of the top young OTs, has a chance to return late in the season if all goes well. But a significant loss.
The diagnosis came one day after Banks was carted off during the third quarter of New Orleans’ 24-17 road win over the Baltimore Ravens. Reuters reported that an MRI confirmed the injury Monday.
Banks Took Rare Durability From Texas to Saints
Banks arrived at Texas in 2022 and claimed the left tackle job. He started 13 games as a true freshman, 14 as a sophomore and 15 during the Longhorns’ first SEC season. His Texas athletics biography credits him with 42 starts in 42 appearances.
The Humble, Texas, native emerged as far more than a steady presence.
He earned Freshman All-America recognition in 2022, made the All-Big 12 first team in 2023 and produced a decorated final season. Banks won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 2024, earned consensus first-team All-America honors and helped the Longhorns reach the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Texas leaned on him to secure the blind side for Quinn Ewers while its offense averaged 33 points per game. Banks also helped create room for Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner to combine for 1,064 rushing yards in 2024.
The Saints made him the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and kept him at the position he had owned throughout college. He responded by starting all 17 games and playing a team-high 1,066 offensive snaps. According to his official team biography, Banks became the third New Orleans left tackle since 1978 to start every game as a rookie and earned consensus All-Rookie recognition.
Add his two starts this fall, and Banks had opened 61 consecutive games between Texas and New Orleans before the ankle injury.
Saints Must Protect Shough Without Blind-Side Fixture
The timing compounds the damage for a young Saints offense. Tyler Shough completed 27 of 34 passes for 252 yards against Baltimore, then scored the winning touchdown with 1:28 remaining.
New Orleans erased an 11-point deficit and moved to 1-1, but the comeback had big-time cost with Banks sidelined now.
Asim Richards replaced Banks and will likely take over at left tackle.
The former fifth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys has appeared in 38 games across four seasons, making five starts. He now inherits responsibility for protecting Shough’s blind side as the offense searches for continuity.
New Orleans hosts the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 27 before facing the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.
The word “indefinitely” leaves Banks’ precise timeline undetermined.
Along that line of thought, the possibility of a late-season return floats some hope, though the first pause of his college and NFL career will test both his recovery and the depth behind him.
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