Josh Heupel comments on Vols center Cooper Mays' potential availability for season opener
There are couple of players on the Tennessee Vols' roster that are viewed as irreplaceable entering the 2023 season. Senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays, the Vols' starting center, is one of those players. Mays has a tremendous understanding of Tennessee's offense and he's a great leader. He essentially acts as an on-field coach for the […]
There are couple of players on the Tennessee Vols' roster that are viewed as irreplaceable entering the 2023 season.
Senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays, the Vols' starting center, is one of those players.
Mays has a tremendous understanding of Tennessee's offense and he's a great leader. He essentially acts as an on-field coach for the Volunteers.
"The way he sees the game, he sees all 11, understands it, provides leadership, knows the technical aspects too, can coach young guys, complete package," said Vols offensive line coach Glen Elarbee earlier this month when asked about Mays. "That guy is awesome. He gets it on every single level, from football to meeting room to leadership, all sides of it."
Unfortunately for Tennessee, Mays' status for the season-opener against Virginia on September 2 in Nashville is up in the air.
Mays hasn't been practicing after undergoing a "procedure" earlier this month. The issue isn't expected to hamper Mays longterm, but it could drag into the season.
On Wednesday, Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked about Mays' status for the game against Virginia. Heupel wouldn't commit to Mays playing against the Cavaliers, but he sounded optimistic that Tennessee's starting center could be ready to go in Nashville next month.
"We believe we'll have an opportunity to have him back," said Heupel when asked about Mays' availability for the season opener. "Everything's gone well since he missed training camp and had the issue that he had."
Heupel added that having contingency plans in the event of injury is important. And the Vols have certainly been working on those plans while Mays has been out.
But it sounds like Heupel is hopeful that Tennessee won't have to use those contingency plans at center.
That's good news for a Vols team that has some questions mounting when it comes to their interior offensive line.
Former Oklahoma player tells unbelievable story about Josh Heupel’s toughness and leadership as a player
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