Rice’s loss has turned into a fellow Group of Five football program’s gain.
Saturday, Colorado State announced that V.J. Banks has transferred to the university and will play for Mike Bobo‘s Rams. As the cornerback will be coming to Fort Collins as a graduate transfer, he’ll be eligible to play immediately in 2018. The upcoming season will serve as Banks’ final year of eligibility.
Banks had announced on Twitter in late January that he had decided to transfer from the Owls.
I’ve decided to transfer from Rice University to pursue a new opportunity for my final year of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/Gb9ieqGH7V
— V.J. Banks (@vjb19) January 31, 2018
Banks started 22 of the 36 games in which he played for the Owls, including 11 starts in 2016 and nine in 2015. The defensive back started the first two games of the 2017 season before an unspecified leg injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
For the Rice portion of his collegiate playing career, Banks totaled 75 tackles (one for loss), seven passes defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He also returned seven punts for 30 yards (4.3 yards per return).
