AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 14: Kelvin Banks Jr. #78 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates with DeAndre Moore Jr. #0 after a touchdown reception in the second quarter against the UTSA Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) Getty
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints looks to pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of a game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Getty
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.
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.
GettyAUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 14: Kelvin Banks Jr. #78 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates with DeAndre Moore Jr. #0 after a touchdown reception in the second quarter against the UTSA Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Banks arrived at Texas in 2022 and immediately 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.
That history helps explain why this setback lands differently from an ordinary early-season absence.
GettyBALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints looks to pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of a game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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 carried a considerable cost.
Asim Richards replaced Banks and is positioned to 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 unsettled.
The possibility of a late-season return offers some hope, though the first pause of his college and NFL career will test both his recovery and the depth behind him.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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