Note: The following appears in the South Carolina football gameday program.
Although he is a native of Columbia, S.C., Banks Pope always knew he wanted to enroll at Clemson. It made sense considering that both of his parents and two brothers attended Clemson University. Being a Clemson fan his entire life, Pope was set on continuing the family legacy.
However, there was one small issue barring him from fulfilling that dream. Clemson had yet to extend an offer to play football.
Deciding to continue his football career in North Carolina, Pope committed to App State prior to his senior season of high school. Not feeling very satisfied in his decision, Pope began to doubt his desire to play football in college, while also still holding out hope he would hear from Clemson.
“Even though I’d gotten an offer and committed to App State, I couldn’t really go and visit because it was during COVID. I was also beginning to question my desire to play football in college. The only school I’d ever wanted to go to growing up was Clemson.
“One day, I got a call from the program offering me a walk-on spot. It was an obvious decision for me to take it, despite having the scholarship offer from App State. Clemson was my dream school, so being a student-athlete here would be the best of both worlds.”
Head Coach Dabo Swinney ended up calling Pope a few days after he accepted the offer to personally congratulate him, a moment Pope described as “surreal.”
“Coach Swinney Facetimed me a few days later and told me he was excited for me. It was a cool moment because I always saw him on TV growing up, and now he’s on my phone screen welcoming me to the program.”
Pope started off his first year at Clemson without any playing time due to a torn ACL. Although continuing through his sophomore year without seeing the field, he finally saw his first snaps during the 2023 season, when he recorded receiving yards against Charleston Southern and made his first start against North Carolina, playing 23 snaps against the Tar Heels.
“I came to Clemson with a torn ACL, so I didn’t play at all my freshman year. Following that season, I slowly worked up, earning a scholarship, and ended up getting a lot of playing time last year due to some injuries within the team. Playing snaps against South Carolina was cool that year, because I grew up about seven minutes from Williams-Brice Stadium.”
With the Tigers having exceptional talent in the tight end room, led by Jake Briningstool, Pope has settled into more of a blocking tight end role during his time as a Tiger. Blocking tight ends specialize primarily in pass protection, run blocking and blocking downfield when needed. While not recording as many quantifiable statistics, blocking tight ends remain a valuable asset in many offensive strategies with their ability to add additional blocking potential beyond that of offensive linemen.
Pope has come to relish this role, likening it to the same nature as his construction science & management major. Previous experience as a defensive end and right tackle in high school undoubtedly also contributed to his adaptability.
“I’ve been a blocking tight end, which is fun, and I like to do it, but it’s a hard role. It’s more of a blue-collar role, which is fitting because I’m majoring in construction.”
Having grown up attending Tiger games and being around campus, #44 was familiar with the university. However, he admitted that there were a few things that surprised him about the program. One of those is Swinney’s motivational techniques. Pope light-heartedly replied to the question, “What surprised you most about Clemson?” with a laugh, saying the following.
“Coach Swinney yells a lot more than I thought, although he’s still the same person that he is on TV in real life.”
Recalling another humorous moment, Pope smiled as he commented on his first game as a Tiger in Williams-Brice Stadium in 2021. Although unable to play due to his torn ACL, Pope watched from the sideline as the Tigers defeated the Gamecocks by a score of 30-0, notching their seventh victory in a row in the rivalry series.
“The most fun I had in a game was playing at South Carolina for the first time. After we beat them 30-0, I was walking to the locker room and I got hit on the head with a water bottle. I looked up and saw it was some people that I knew and had gone to high school with. I thought it was a funny moment.”
Following his graduation in May, Pope plans on going into the construction business, desiring to stay local due to his Palmetto State roots. Along with fulfilling his dream of being a Tiger, Pope has also grown immensely during his time under Swinney and is confident that he has been set up for success in whatever endeavors he pursues.
“Being here has definitely molded me. As a man, I’ve become more accountable, and I’ve learned to do things the right way.”
