Tennessee center Cooper Mays is exactly what the Vols need headed into this season. Amidst a program still in the process of rebuilding, Mays is a rock at center. Tennessee’s coaches needn’t worry about that position as long as Mays is in the lineup.
Things are not quite as settled at another position on the Vols’ offensive line. Following Sunday’s scrimmage, which was the second of preseason camp, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said the battle for playing time will rage on between senior Jeremiah Crawford and sophomore Gerald Mincey. Heupel said both players will play in the season-opening game against Ball State on Sept. 1. That means the competition is far from decided.
As one of the leaders of the entire team and, especially, the offensive line, Mays offered his thoughts on the two Vols battling for playing time at left tackle.
When asked about Crawford, who is a senior, Mays said, “I would say he’s somebody that has probably even surprised me a little bit with how much he’s grown over this past offseason. I think he’s turned himself into a completely different ball player than he probably was when he first had gotten here. I’m really happy to see that personally. He’s a little bit more on the quiet side, but you know exactly what you’re going to get from him every day for sure.”
Even though he’s just a sophomore, Gerald Mincey has experience. He played in 10 games for Florida last season before transferring to Tennessee.
“The first thing that you really realize about Gerald is he’s huge,” Mays said of the 6-foot-6, 337-pound offensive lineman. “He’s an extremely big guy. He’s probably one of the biggest people on our team. He has really long arms so he’s got a lot of potential, especially on the pass protection side of it, being able to keep length and keep defenders off of his body.”
Mincey may prove to be the long-term answer at left tackle. For now, he has to continue to prove he’s ready to play, especially in pass protection. If not, Crawford would be a natural option to given his recent improvement.
“I feel like he’s got a little bit of stuff to work on, but a body like his, the intangibles and the physical tools that he’s got is a lot of the stuff you want as a coach so he’s another guy that has a lot of potential for sure,” Mays said. “He just has to take that to the next step and fill it out.”
Mincey had better do that quickly. Sept. 1 will be here before you know it.
