THE MODERATOR: We have Kelvin Banks, ready for your questions.
KELVIN BANKS JR.: Yes, sir.
Q. Former teammate of yours, Trill now on the Auburn defensive line. What's Auburn getting in Trill Carter?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: Definitely a hard-working man. In his time at UT he showed me a lot of his character and the way he goes about business. So hard-working, respectable young man.
Q. Kelvin, how much confidence does it give this offense that Quinn is returning as a third year as a starter?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: It gives you confidence because the more you can spend time with a guy and play with him the more you can gel with him. And even then we have guys behind Quinn and other back-ups as well who would gel into our playbook and scheme as well. So it's very exciting.
Q. Kelvin, when you look back at your sophomore year, where did you feel like you grew the most from your freshman year, and as you went through the off-season what were things that you felt like you wanted to work on going into the junior year?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: From freshman to sophomore year I felt like the consistency of me being more in tune with the game. I felt like my teammate, Jake Majors, came back from an O-line retreat and he talked about do you like football, do you love football or do you live football? And I'm like, I live for football and this is what I want to do. So just me being more in tune with film and more in tune with my technique, different things like that and going into the off-season being consistent and making sure I stay dominant.
Q. Just coming to the SEC that means Texas A&M again, what have you heard about the rivalry and do you have that game circled on the calendar this year?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: I heard about the rivalry, I was too young to remember Justin Tucker and the game when he kicked but I've seen highlights from it. It's going to be a great rivalry, a great type of excitement to keep that tradition going.
Q. Kelvin, why is Texas a good fit with the SEC conference?
KELVIN BANKS JR. JR.: Just us trying to come in and gain respect from our opponents. I feel like that's the biggest thing for us, coming into a new conference, gaining respect and understanding that we respect them but we want them to respect us as well.
Q. All these mock drafts are coming out for 2025 and you're in the top-ten for every single one of them. How are you separating that and focusing on where your feet are right now, this season? It's got to be difficult.
KELVIN BANKS JR.: You said it perfectly, be where your feet are. Don't try to look too far ahead because once you do that, things will go downhill for you, because then you're focusing on more than what you need to at the moment.
Q. I didn't get to ask Jahdae, but how about those kicks he had on?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: Honestly it's something different. I got out of the car getting ready to come out here and I'm like, what did he have on? I asked him, what did he have on, so it was cool seeing him flared up and trying some new stuff!
Q. Joining the SEC and another rivalry Texas gets to renew is with Arkansas. How excited are you for that game and to go to Fayetteville?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: I have some teammates who made that game a couple years ago, and they talked about the atmosphere and all the excitement that the fans bring, so excited to get there and get to experience the atmosphere in Arkansas.
Q. Rivalry talk, Oklahoma and Texas fan basis as they learn about the SEC, how would you describe OU-Texas to the SEC fans?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: I would say two teams who has a lot of grit and a lot of passion about their school, especially just being able to represent -- I know most guys, they stay in town -- I mean, in their state, so I'm an in-state guy, being able to represent my family and also being able to represent my state as well. Two teams who are passionate and ready to play.
Q. Just wanted to does ask about the offensive line, everybody returning except the right tackle position. One the guy leaving, Christian, what did he teach you, something that comes to mind when you think of that name, and also Cam coming into that slot, what have you seen for him to be able to take over?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: Yes, I would say the biggest thing Christian Jones taught me to stay consistent and not dwell on the moments that aren't going good, because you're not going to be perfect. Not everything is gong to go how you want it to go and being able to focus and put that play or whatever is happening behind you and just focus on where you are now and what you're doing.
And also with Cam, he's been a guy who has sat behind Christian for those two years, and being able to learn and learn from Christian's experiences like I did as well. So just -- I feel Cam is going to be ready, and he's just soaking it all in right now.
Q. I know y'all lost a lot off last year's team, but I'm curious, how do you think about the talent level on this team after the additions that were made?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: Like you said, we lost some key guys on our team to the NFL. Congratulations to them. But like you said, I feel like our talent is good, because when you look at the playing field when we are practicing or stuff, there is no drop-off. Everybody is communicating and gelling well together, so I feel like we have a lot of depth on our team and we're doing pretty good.
Q. Kelvin, if you were writing a scouting report on yourself, skills, attributes, what you do well, what would it say?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: On myself, I would say good feet, good hands, willingness to learn the game and consistency in his technique, no matter when he's tired or when he's fresh.
Q. You guys are going to see a lot of new road venues this season. Are there any in particular you are excited about for the atmosphere?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: No, I got that question asked to me before as well. I'm actually excited for all of 'em, because in my opinion, my favorite game is the playing-on-the-road games because you get that underdog feeling when you go into the stadium and nobody is wanting you to win, so I'm excited for all of them, just excited to get to experience the fans and the other teams.
Q. Did you talk trash to the team when you got the highest rating on the team in NCAA?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: No, but I definitely heard from my teammates. I got a little stuff from my teammates. So anytime I mess up on a game they let me hear it.
Q. Kelvin, in the OU game last year when OU had the goal-line stand for you guys going forward, what changed for you guys as an O-Line after that and the success you had late in the year Iowa State and Tech, last two games? What did you focus on to carry that momentum into this year after the OU game?
KELVIN BANKS JR.: Just dominance. I feel like in that moment we were lack luster in that moment, as you could say. Seeing that as an O-Line is not fun, so from that moment on I feel like we understood and took it personal.
Which we take everything personal, we come every game ready to play and wanting to win, but just that moment not being able to score on the 1 yard line hit us real deep, so gave us an extra push to want to fix our mistake and actually get in the end zone, in the red zone.
THE MODERATOR: Kelvin, thank you very much.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports