‘You better put those guys in the dirt!’”: Texas OT Kelvin Banks recalls biggest motivation from mom Monica while she battled severe illness

Kelvin Banks has been one of the key players in the Texas Longhorns offensive line for the last two seasons. He is one of the main protectors of quarterback Quinn Ewers.

However, while Banks was battling with opponents on the field, he had to witness someone close to him struggle off the field.

Throughout his time with Texas, Banks' mother has been fighting a serious illness. She had to have weekly tests at the hospital and was incapacitated at one point, lost her ability to speak and was bedridden.

Banks has only recently spoken about this, all while playing at one of the biggest programs in college football. He told Yahoo! Sports:

“I didn't let people know how I was feeling, I could feel myself being angry at others for something they didn’t do.”

His mother was a key part of his development as a football player.

While he got his athletic ability from his father, who also played college football, his mother is the source of his aggression and physicality. He added:

"When she (Kelvin's mother) can’t make a game, she’d call me, ‘You better put those guys in the dirt!’”

Luckily, there is a happy ending to this story. The doctors found out the cause of her illness which was a leaky gallbladder that filled her body with toxins. The gallbladder was then removed and the operation saved her life.

Last weekend, Kelvin's mother watched her son play against the Colorado State Rams. It was the first game that he played for the Longhorns without his mother being seriously ill. Her recovery is ongoing but this should lift a massive weight off his shoulders — a weight that nobody felt except him.

Kelvin Banks is praised by coach Sarkisian

While Banks is not likely to make a highlight reel or even score a touchdown, he is the number one protector of Quinn Ewers. Protecting Ewers will allow him to make the big plays, and give the Longhorns the yards needed to win.

Someone who recognizes his importance to the team is Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who brought him to SEC Media Days in July despite Banks only being a junior. In justifying his decision, Sarkisian said:

"This is probably his last year with us. I see who he is on a daily basis, and he represents us as good or better than anybody in our program."

Banks represents a team player and is someone willing to go the extra mile for his squad. His actions should be applauded, and now knowing that he has done it all while his mother was seriously ill should only gain him more respect.