Keilan Robinson helps lead the charge for Texas Longhorns on Jeff Banks' special teams

Earlier this month, Texas assistant coach Jeff Banks attempted to describe senior Keilan Robinson.

"He's an acquired taste, because he's kind of a smartass," Banks said.

Banks meant that as a compliment. The Longhorns' special teams coach elaborated that Robinson is "an educated football player. So he can be a smartass to coaches because he knows the right answer. He's ripping off terminology that I use back to me and then he'd be, like, smiling at me."

When Robinson met with the media a couple of weeks later, he was asked if he is indeed a smartass. Had Banks provided an accurate description?

Robinson smiled. "That's only because he is," he retorted. "I am what he is."

OK, so that's the vibe on special teams at Texas. But while Banks and Robinson have jokes, the concept of special teams is taken very seriously by the Longhorns.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian often talks about complementary football. The offense must complement the defense, which must complement the special teams, and so on and so forth. Much of the talk this offseason has focused on the offense and defense, but what's happening on special teams?

Who's back, who's not

For starters, Bert Auburn returns after kicking 21 field goals last year, though Will Stone is pushing for playing time. Former Stanford punter Ryan Sanborn transferred in for his final season of college football. And Banks has said he slept well this summer knowing that Lance St. Louis will be his second-year deep snapper and that Sanborn can also hold on kicks.

In the return game, Robinson is back after leading the Longhorns with a 25.2-yard average on kickoff returns. Newcomers Adonai Mitchell, Johntay Cook II, DeAndre Moore and Quintrevion Wisner also could factor into returns.

Last year, Texas made the decision to bench D'Shawn Jamison in favor of Xavier Worthy on punt returns. Jamison, who is currently trying to make the San Francisco 49ers' roster as an undrafted free agent, owns the fourth- and 12th-longest punt returns in school history. Banks, however, felt that he was letting too many fieldable punts hit the ground, so Worthy was given a shot. Worthy averaged 9.7 yards per return, the third-best average in the Big 12.

"Xavier is going to train hard at whatever we ask him to do. He's a great, coachable player to do that," Banks said. "We probably were more of a pressure team than I've ever been last year, and that probably took away from Xavier's opportunities to return the ball. I'm excited to kind of see where he goes moving forward."

Considering special teams, well, special

Although Worthy will create more highlights as a receiver in UT's offense this season, he doesn't mind playing on special teams. That's just one more thing that he can put on film for NFL scouts. In fact, he revealed this week that "if I could play gunner, I would play gunner."

That won't be necessary. When it comes to gunners — the players designated to fly down the field on kickoff and punt coverage — Sarkisian has already boasted that "in my opinion, we have the two best gunners in the country. Kitan (Crawford) and Keilan are phenomenal in the punt game and their coverage units."

Listed on the roster as a running back, Robinson has rushed for 408 yards, caught 27 passes and scored six offensive touchdowns in the two seasons since his transfer from Alabama. He has arguably had a bigger impact on special teams. He blocked a punt during a 2021 rout of Rice and did the same thing against Iowa State last year. He also scored the first points of the 2022 season when he returned a Louisiana-Monroe punt blocked by Jamison for a touchdown.

During Robinson's media availability on Aug. 16, it was suggested to him that players don't arrive at Alabama and Texas with dreams of playing on special teams. And yes, he admitted that when he was a three-star recruit in high school, he only worried about special teams when he needed to return kicks. Robinson has since played for Banks at both Alabama and Texas, and he noted that the coach has a unique way of stressing the importance of special teams.

"I will say that his meeting is probably the most entertaining, the most fun meeting out of any meeting that we might have that day. He just makes special teams fun," Robinson said. "It's just something to take serious; you take pride in it. There's a lot of money to be made on special teams. Everybody knows that they ain't gonna be the star, so you got to find another way in addition to what you do on offense or defense to put money in your pocket."

Appreciating special teams' importance

Banks was once an all-conference punter at Washington State, and his 43.5-yard average in 1997 ranks eighth in that school's record books. During his coaching career, he has been a special teams coordinator at Idaho State, UTEP, Virginia, Texas A&M and Alabama.

When Sarkisian left Alabama for Texas in January 2021, Banks was among his first hires. Banks also coaches tight ends for Sarkisian.

"He puts in the time and the effort. We're very organized; he's got a real plan," Sarkisian said. "I think he does a really good job of fitting our personnel to the scheme and getting the right people in the right spots to do what they do really well. I think he does a nice job of recognizing players that may not be always front-line starters, but play with a style on special teams where they can find a role.

"I love the attitude that he brings and the aggressiveness because I think that's half of special teams. You've got to have players that want to be on teams, and I think Jeff creates an environment where our guys want to be on special teams. They love what he brings. They love the energy. They love the fact that we're going to scheme people, but yet he's going to demand maximum effort every time that we go. I think you tie it all together with his organization; I think that's why he's really good at what he does."

To further improve how it plays on special teams, Texas hired Joe DeCamillis as a special assistant to the head coach this offseason. DeCamillis, who won't have an on-field coaching role but can advise and help with scouting reports, worked in the NFL for three decades and won a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams two years ago. Banks has referred to DeCamillis as a mentor and the "mecca of special teams coordinators."

Banks met DeCamillis years ago while he was coaching at UTEP. DeCamillis, who was a special teams coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars at the time, accepted an invitation from Banks to talk shop at a clinic in El Paso.

"I learned so much that two-day span of clinic," Banks recalled.

"A lot of the teachings and the things that I believe in come from Joe D's background," Banks said. "When we had an opportunity to have him added to our staff, we couldn't pass it up. I told Sark we've got to get this guy. At the end of the day, you want people around you that are great, and I think Joe D's great at what he does."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas ready to roll on special teams during 2023 football season