Of all the players who have seen the field in South Alabama’s “Swarm D” since the beginning of the 2021 season, Yam Banks has been the lone constant.

Banks has started all 17 games for the Jaguars the last two seasons at the “Husky” position, the Jaguars’ nomenclature for its nickel safety. Along with wide receiver Jalen Wayne on offense, he’s one of just two players to start every game of the Kane Wommack era heading into Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference home game vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

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“Yam Banks embodies so much of what we want this program to be, day-in and day-out,” Wommack said. “He is a humble player, has great rapport with his teammates, loves to be around them. He is always playing ping-pong or always hanging out with them in the locker room.

“And yet at the same time, when it’s time to work, he locks in and operates at an elite level.”

Banks, a third-year sophomore from Ridgeland, Miss., came to South Alabama in 2020 as a cornerback. He appeared in seven games as a true freshman that season, and was credited with a pair of solo tackles.

When Wommack and his staff arrived that December, they began evaluating game and practice video to find a candidate to play Husky, one of the key positions in their 4-2-5 defensive alignment. They found that man in the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Banks, who has the size and strength of an in-the-box safety along with the man-to-man coverage skills of a slot cornerback.

“When we watched film on some of the things that he had done in the past, even in practice reps, you recognize that (Banks) has man-coverage ability,” Wommack said. “The number one thing that we look for in a Husky is, can this guy cover man-to-man in a slot? And often that’s going to be the best player on the field for our opponent.

“Our defense is always either limited by or we have the opportunity to be ‘multiple’ based off of that Husky. And so he really makes the thing go, his ability to play man-coverage. And then I think where he’s taking his game to another level is his physicality in the run game and on the perimeter screens, and also in the way that he blitzes off the edge. He certainly is a complete Husky and we’re not limited by him.”

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South Alabama football practice

Banks — whose given name is Yamarcus — started all 12 games at Husky in 2021, totaling 49 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups. He left last year’s ULM game — a 41-31 loss in Monroe — with an ankle injury, but returned the following week and has not left the lineup since.

In five games this season, Banks has 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and four pass breakups. He had the best game of his career in a 38-14 win over Louisiana Tech on Sept. 24, recovering a fumble, breaking up three passes and picking off two, one of which he returned 24 yards for a touchdown to put the Jaguars up 24-7 early in the third quarter.

“You’re always putting stuff on film, so you’ve got to go with it,” Banks said. “I’ve just got to learn from my mistakes, but also enjoy the big plays and celebrate those with my teammates.”

South Alabama (4-1 overall, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) has suffered a number of key injuries in the secondary since the beginning of preseason camp, with free safety Keith Gallmon — a three-year starter — lost for the year with a torn pectoral muscle in August and cornerback Jamar Richardson having missed the last two games with a broken bone in his forearm. The Jaguars have leaned heavily on Banks and cornerback Darrell Luter — a preseason All-Sun Belt selection — for leadership on a defense that ranks second in the league in both fewest passing yards allowed per game (198.4) and opponents’ passing efficiency (109.4).

Banks has been formally recognized for his value within the team this week, as he was awarded the honorary No. 5 jersey for Saturday’s game. A different Jaguars player wears the No. 5 each week in remembrance of former South Alabama running back Anthony Mostella, who was killed in a 2010 motorcycle accident.

“(Banks) probably takes more reps in practice and on game day than anybody on our team,” Wommack said. “He never complains. He never asks to get out. And then he produces on game day. It’s a great example to be able to show, ‘this is how it’s supposed to be done at an elite level.’

“On top of it, it helps that he’s one of our best players. When your best players are also the guys that do things at the most-elite level, you want to make sure you reward and point that out.”

Louisiana-Monroe comes in at 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference, but beat Louisiana three weeks ago and played undefeated Coastal Carolina close (losing 28-21) last Saturday. Quarterback Chandler Rogers completed 19 straight passes in that game, and has a history of success vs. the Jaguars as well.

Rogers threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns as the Warhawks stunned South Alabama in Monroe last October. ULM scored 17 unanswered points in the final 21 minutes of game time to help derail a once-promising season in which South Alabama lost five of its final seven games to finish 5-7.

“(Rogers) likes to run, so we’ve got to have good (pursuit) angles,” Banks said. “He likes to throw to little spots in the seams, so we’ve been working in practice on how to cover that.”

Kickoff Saturday is set for 6 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will air live via NFL Network.