My, what a difference a year makes, especially for one of Tennessee’s best football players.
You probably remember the uncertain emotions of August 2023, even though you’d probably like to forget it. Just one year ago, there was uncertainty at one of the most important positions on Tennessee’s football team. Yep, center Cooper Mays was dealing with an abdominal injury that eventually led him to miss four games, including a loss to a Florida team that would finish the season 5-7.
There’s no way to prove the Vols would’ve beaten the Gators with Mays snapping in The Swamp, but there’s certainly reason to believe Tennessee, which finished the season 9-4, would have had a much better chance. No matter. That’s ancient history.
“Fantastic man,” Mays said when asked about the beginning of the season bearing down and how he feels with the Vols’ opener set for Aug. 31 against Chattanooga. “Ready!”
That short answer to a question about how Mays is feeling and what he thinks about the season has to be exciting considering Mays is not only in charge of blocking his man – or men – in front of him. Mays is also responsible for setting the offensive line protection calls for redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.
Mays certainly wasn’t asked to participate in every preseason, first-team practice snap this month, for two reasons. First, Mays is a proven commodity. He’s a preseason first-team All-SEC center after all. Plus, there are centers behind Mays that could use the practice. Remember what happened last year with a backup in front of a new starting quarterback? It wasn’t grand.
The challenge for Mays, who is 23-years-old and mature beyond his years, during preseason camp was to make sure he was physically and mentally ready to begin the season and, most importantly, be healthy. Mission accomplished.
“No doubt,” Mays said. “I felt like we did some good work…I did some great work I feel like and also got to get out of it unscathed. That was the that was the goal.”
There was a strong argument to be made that Mays was Tennessee’s most important player last year headed into the season. Even though he’d never admit it, he could surely have helped cover up for some mistakes made by first-year starting quarterback Joe Milton last season, especially in that Florida game. Now, Mays will be asked to do the same this season.
Iamaleava is now the starting quarterback that Mays and his offensive line mates will have to protect. The Vols’ offensive line should be a strength as long as they can stay healthy considering there just isn’t much experienced depth behind him. The mission: stay healthy. So far, so good.
