Aggies lose Defensive Coordinator Ephraim Banda to Cleveland Browns – Cache Valley Daily

Utah State Spring Football Scrimmage 3/26/21

LOGAN – Utah State’s growing list of offseason departures haven’t been limited to just players. This morning ESPN and NFL Network reported that Aggies defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda will be hired by the Cleveland Browns to be their coach of safeties.

Banda had recently been promoted to the position associate head coach in addition to being the DC. He spent two seasons with the Aggies, a span in which the team ranked fourth in the country in total tackles for loss and 35th in points allowed.

The loss is yet another hit to head coach Blake Anderson’s coaching staff who’s already lost offensive coordinator Anthony Tucker, who left to take the position of wide receivers coach at Indiana. The Aggies reportedly plan to fill Tucker’s role by having Anderson call plays more on offense along giving wide receivers coach Kyle Cefalo the additional title of co-offensive coordinator.

Along with Banda, the Aggies have lost four starters on offense and multiple other key rotation players either through graduation (Hunter Reynolds) or the transfer portal (Byron Vaughns, Daniel Grzesiak, Patrick Joyner Jr., Phillip Paea, Tavian Coleman).