A CFP national champion at Alabama who has scrapped for a foothold in the NFL as a converted safety.
Marcus Banks arrived in the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and has since fought through practice squad stints, a release, and an injury settlement to stay in the league with Tampa Bay. The Houston native started his college career as a cornerback at Alabama before finishing it at safety for Mississippi State.
Path to the league
Banks played three seasons at Alabama from 2019 to 2021, then transferred to Mississippi State, where he moved from cornerback to safety and used an extra year of COVID-19 eligibility to play through the 2023 season. He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Buccaneers.
Career highlights
Banks won the College Football Playoff national championship with Alabama in 2020. Across his college career at Alabama and Mississippi State, he totaled 73 tackles, five passes defensed, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown, including a 51-tackle, three-pass-breakup senior season at Mississippi State in 2023.
2025 season recap
Banks was released with an injury settlement in July 2025 but returned to Tampa Bay's practice squad that November. He was elevated for the team's Week 12 game and signed a reserve/futures contract with the Buccaneers in January 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Marcus Banks (American football)
- ESPN: Marcus Banks
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Mississippi State
- Hometown
- Houston, TX, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
