It just keeps getting worse for Tennessee football recruiting. Five-star in-state2018 offensive lineman Cade Mays decommitted from the Volunteers Tuesday.
It was only a matter of time before Tennessee football began to lose some of its top players amidst the Butch Jones drama. And on Tuesday, the worst of the worst possible situation happened for the 2018 class.
Cade Mays, a five-star in-state offensive lineman and one of the earliest commitments to the program, announced his decommitment from Tennessee football. Mays had been committed to Tennessee football since the summer of 2015. However, he had been visiting other schools the past two weeks, including the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs.
Mays made his announcement on Twitter.
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Please respect my decision. pic.twitter.com/ANvoIpP1Bf
— Cade Mays (@cade_mays) November 7, 2017
Make no mistake, this is devastating for Butch Jones and the program. The Knoxville Catholic senior was a Tennessee football guy through and through.
Mays’s father played at Tennessee, and while he has been committed, he’s spent time trying to get other people committed to the Vols. In fact, he’s worked his heart out to do it.
The guy is the top player in the state and was a huge reason for Tennessee football’s recruiting class being in the Top 5. Now, with his decommitment, the Vols are no longer in the Top 10 on Rivals.
So the situation just keeps getting worse in Knoxville. If John Currie ever needed more evidence to fire Butch Jones now, this was it.
At 4-5 and 0-5 in the SEC, how do the Vols expect to get better as a program when they can’t keep guys like Mays? Again, this was as much of a sure commitment as you could have.
And Tennessee football lost him.
As a result, the Vols are now sinking like never before. And believe it or not, the floor is even lower. More decommitments are likely to come in the future if Currie doesn’t make a move soon.