Cade Mays explains that Tennessee Vols expect to win games this season, unlike last season under Jeremy Pruitt
One of the biggest reasons the Tennessee Vols are playing well this season — aside from the much-improved offensive scheme — is the energy the team is playing with under head coach Josh Heupel. Under Jeremy Pruitt last season, the Vols often looked defeated before they even took the field — especially near the end […]
One of the biggest reasons the Tennessee Vols are playing well this season — aside from the much-improved offensive scheme — is the energy the team is playing with under head coach Josh Heupel.
Under Jeremy Pruitt last season, the Vols often looked defeated before they even took the field — especially near the end of the season. The team was moving in different directions. Some players were only worried about individual accolades, while others were pondering leaving the program.
This season, the Volunteers are all moving in the same direction. The team has one common goal — win as many games as possible.
And they believe they can win every time they hit the field.
Tennessee senior offensive lineman Cade Mays spoke about the different vibe of the team under Heupel on Tuesday night during an appearance on "Tennessee Prime" with Jayson Swain and VolQuest's Austin Price.
"This year, when we step on the field, we expect to win," said Mays. "Last year, it was kind of, like, toward the end of the season you were just beat. Everyone was beat. The coaches were beat. You just kind of felt like the game was already settled before you even went out there."
"Everybody is fired up to play, everyone loves to play, last year you didn't feel that same energy," added Mays. "You didn't feel like…people were out there that didn't really want to be out there. That's the difference between this year's team and last year's team. When we're out there, we're playing balls to the wall — we're playing hard".
There's no doubt that Heupel has this team playing with high-energy and a ton of effort.
It's amazing to think about how much this team has progressed under Heupel in just nine months — especially when you hear the stories of how terrible the culture was under Pruitt
This might be the fastest and most legitimate culture flip I've seen in college football. It's a testament to the great job that Heupel has done at Tennessee since taking over a situation that was deemed by many as hopeless.
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
