Former Alabama Champion Gets Ditched by NFL Team

Former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Marcus Banks, a member of the 2020 national championship team, has been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers waived Banks from injured reserve on after first designating him injured earlier in the week, ending his latest stint with the club.

The Houston native and former Crimson Tide defensive back had signed a reserve/futures contract in January. He appeared in just one regular-season NFL game during his time in Tampa.

For Alabama fans, Banks’ story remains tied to one of the program’s most dominant seasons. A four-star recruit out of Dekaney High School, he arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2019 and earned playing time as a freshman.

By 2020, he was a sophomore listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds, wearing No. 26 and contributing primarily on special teams for Nick Saban’s undefeated 13-0 squad.

That Tide team steamrolled the SEC and then the College Football Playoff, defeating Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl semifinal and Ohio State 52-24 in the championship game. Banks saw action in eight games that year, recording his first career tackle on kickoff coverage against Georgia.

He also appeared against Ole Miss, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, and in both playoff contests. Though his statistical output was modest—two tackles on the season—he was part of a loaded secondary that featured future stars such as Patrick Surtain II, Jordan Battle, and others. The championship ring he earned that January remains the defining achievement of his college career.

Banks stayed at Alabama through the 2021 season before transferring to Mississippi State, where he played two more years and posted more substantial numbers. He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent, bouncing between the practice squad, injury designations, and brief elevations over the next two seasons.

From the Alabama perspective, Banks’ NFL journey illustrates both the depth of Saban-era rosters and the difficulty of translating special-teams contributions into a lasting professional career.

He was never a starter in Tuscaloosa, yet he was on the field for one of the most complete teams in program history—an experience that still carries weight among Tide supporters.

The 2020 title run featured elite talent at every level, and players like Banks provided the necessary depth and special-teams reliability that allowed the stars to shine.

His release comes as Tampa Bay continues to reshape its secondary ahead of the 2026 season. For Banks, now 25, it represents another chance to find a new landing spot after years of persistence.

Alabama fans will remember him as a Houston kid who wore crimson, contributed when called upon, and left with a national championship. That accomplishment cannot be taken away, even as his professional chapter with the Buccaneers closes.