Everyone wants to be a leader. It’s a bit more difficult when your older brother has already assumed that role and he plays in your same position group.
With Cade Mays off to the NFL, Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays has made it a point to be more of a leader. His mindset started to shift before the Vols’ bowl game, then continued to develop as off-season workouts wore on.
“It’s hard being a leader when you have your older brother there,” said Mays, who almost exclusively plays center. “ Kind of him stepping away and me trying fill that role a little bit.”
Mays is doing a fantastic job of being a leader. He has been a part of Tennessee’s student-athlete leadership group and receives rave reviews about his ability to mentor Tennessee’s young players.
Javontez Spraggins plays alongside Mays on Tennessee’s offensive line. The junior said he, Mays and the entire team have bonded incredibly well during the offseason.
“That’s almost like my brother,” Spraggins said. “When you come into a place like this, you go away from your family, you have to build new relationships.
“When I build new relationships, they’re like my brothers, not only the o-line but the whole system.”
When asked about Mays, Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee said, “He’s a tough son of a gun, both him and his brother. The guy loves the game of football, loves the physicality part of it, will absolutely throw his body around.”
Mays is also pretty intelligent.
“He’s freaking smart,” Elarbee said with a smile. “Way smarter than his coach.”
Other than being more of a leader, Mays’ biggest challenge this season is staying healthy. That was a tough task last season when he suffered an ankle injury in the first game of the season. Ankles typically don’t heal quickly, especially when they’re being used to block 300-pound defensive linemen.
“If you’re on a bad ankle, it’s kind of hard doing your job at a consistent rate,” Mays said with a grin.
Mays toughed it out as best as he could last season. He’s not one to pull himself from a game. That’s someone else’s job.
“You have to know your limits, but I was raised to never quit,” Mays said. I don’t want to hurt the team, but I was raised to finish what you start.”
The key for Mays to stay healthy has been an off-season workout that has been incredibly beneficial for his strength and explosiveness. It should also help him stay healthy.
“I think the biggest thing is work really hard, build your body up and that’ll take care of it,” Mays said. “I think it’s been amazing these first couple of days honestly.”
Mays is already seeing the dividends of being one of Tennessee’s best off-season weight-room warriors. Now, that just needs to translate to the this season.
