Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel hasn't announced yet whether or not senior center Cooper Mays will play in Saturday in UT's season opener against the Virginia Cavaliers. 

Mays is still out after undergoing a "procedure" during fall camp earlier this offseason. 

While Heupel hasn't made an announcement, the expectation is that Mays won't play against Virginia. 

There's currently no timetable for Mays' return to action, which is understandably concerning for the Vols. Mays is an extremely important player for Tennessee's offense and it'll be tough for the Vols to be at their best without him on the field. 

Fortunately for Tennessee, it sounds like when Mays does return to the field, he won't be worried about any lingering effects from the procedure that's kept him out of action in recent weeks. 

And that's great news for UT because Mays has dealt with injuries before that lingered and hurt his confidence. 

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"I think last year was the first year that I felt really, really comfortable in kind of playing every game and just going into the game with confidence," said Mays during an appearance this week on Off The Hook Sports. 

"When I was out there my sophomore year (2021), I was banged up," continued Mays. "And that messed with my confidence a lot because I felt like I wasn't the same player that I was before getting banged up."

If that comment scares you as a Tennessee fan, don't worry. Mays quickly pointed out that he'll be full strength when he returns from his current issue. 

"I know that when I come back I'll be full strength," explained Mays. "Kind of one of those things that I feel like I'll be able to take care of and come back just as strong, if not stronger." 

"It's different than when you get an ankle [injury]. When you hurt your ankle, it's kind of something that's unavoidable that will bother you all season. That's where my mind's at."

It sounds like Tennessee is being smart with Mays and not rushing him back into action. And that's certainly the correct approach to take with the Knoxville native. 

The Vols are going to need Mays in key games against opponents like Alabama, Texas A&M, and Georgia. They'll also need him against Florida, which is just a little over two weeks away (we'll have a better idea of Mays' status for that game as mid September approaches…it's still a bit early to speculate). 

Sitting against Virginia and potentially Austin Peay is probably the smartest move for Mays if he hopes to be good to go for the majority of the season. 

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