One of the biggest concerns facing the Tennessee Vols entering the 2023 season is the status of Senior center Cooper Mays, one of UT's most important players. 

Mays is a key team leader who has been out for the last few weeks after undergoing an upper body procedure. It's unclear if he'll be ready to go for the season-opener against Virginia, but his injury/issue isn't expected to linger deep into the season. 

With Mays sidelined, redshirt senior Ollie Lane has been getting reps as the Vols' starting center. 

On Thursday, Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle met with reporters and he was asked if Tennessee's tempo has suffered any with Mays out. 

Halzle quickly put any concerns about the Vols' tempo to rest with a short and to the point response. 

"No issues," said Halzle. "That's how we play. Everybody knows how we play. We play one type of way when we take the field. We're ready to roll." 

Next man up, right? The Vols seem to be embracing that mentality and they won't slow things down just because one of their top players isn't on the field (though to be clear, Mays could return to action against Virginia). 

As for the rest of the offensive line, which has some question marks (specifically at left guard)? 

Well, Halzle says he feels good about where Tennessee's offensive line is with just over a week to go until the season-opener. 

"Feel real good about how the offensive line is looking," said Halzle. "There are guys you can rotate in and play a bunch of spots. That's what's really good about the guys we have is guys can go in and out. We got guys that can play all three positions. So it's really helpful having that kind of utilization with guys up front. Feel really good about the five we're gonna roll out there with in a couple of weeks and feel like we can put a good product on the field."

Tennessee and Virginia kick off on September 2 11:00 AM CT/12:00 PM ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The game will air on ABC. 

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