Tennessee Vols insider gives latest update on Cooper Mays ahead of big showdown with Florida
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked on Monday if senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays, UT's starting center, will play on Saturday against the Florida Gators. Mays didn't play in the Vols' first two games of the season after undergoing a procedure during fall camp. Heupel said that Mays warmed up with Tennessee last […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked on Monday if senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays, UT's starting center, will play on Saturday against the Florida Gators.
Mays didn't play in the Vols' first two games of the season after undergoing a procedure during fall camp.
Heupel said that Mays warmed up with Tennessee last week against Austin Peay, but he didn't fully commit to the Knoxville native playing in the Swamp against the Gators.
"He was with us last week, warmed up with us," said Heupel. "We made a decision pretty early in the week that he probably would not play in that football game (against Austin Peay). Anticipate him having a good week of practice here and being ready."
On Tuesday morning, Vols insider Austin Price, who covers Tennessee for VolQuest, joined 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will and he was asked about Mays' availability for the Florida game.
Price noted that Mays is "trending" toward playing against Florida, but it's not a certainty at this point that he'll return to action on Saturday in Gainesville.
"If he's able to play, and I think it's trending that way — I don't think it's far-fetched to say he's gonna play Saturday, I also don't think it's a lock, but I think it's definitely trending that way," explained Price during his weekly appearance on Ramon, Kayla, and Will. "He has put a ton of work in, in the tubs, and in the pool, and just pushing sleds. And he'll head to the practice field right about now (Tuesday morning) to really kind of go through a full practice for the first time."
"We'll see if he's able to go Saturday, but I think it definitely feels like it's trending that way," added Price.
Getting Mays back would definitely be a big boost for Tennessee's offensive line — especially considering that the Swamp is expected to be extremely loud on Saturday night. Mays' previous experience in loud road games (Florida and Alabama in 2021, Pittsburgh, Georgia, and South Carolina in 2022) will be massively important for Tennessee if he's able to play. Communication issues doomed the Vols last season on the road against Georgia. And since Mays is the center who lived through that hellish evening in Athens, he's the guy that Tennessee fans are hoping to see out there on Saturday night leading the Vols' offensive line in a hostile environment.
It sounds like there's a solid chance that Mays returns on Saturday, but as Price noted, it's not a certainty.
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