Tennessee football: Ranking Vols’ top five juniors of 2022

If he’s fully healthy, Cooper Mays is an anchor for Tennessee football on the line, as he’s the only proven center for the Vols.

Yes, the junior class is loaded up front, and we’re back to the offensive line. Last year, Cooper Mays was banged up and had to miss some significant time the first half of the season. It showed, as the Vols had no replacement at center. Jerome Carvin moved over there, but he’s very clearly a left guard, so the Vols lost an elite blocker moving him over.

As a result, Mays being healthy is one of the most crucial aspects to Tennessee football’s season. He allows Carvin to be elite at left guard, and he keeps the center spot locked up. As far as anybody knows right now, there’s no established backup at center behind Mays still.

When healthy, the brother of Cooper Mays has been a regular contributor since his freshman campaign, and he was always expected to immediately start last year. He did play on 480 snaps, and there’s a reason the Vols were able to maintain their elite offense down the stretch despite losing Tiyon Evans and seeing tougher defenses.

If he can stay on the field this year, Mays has All-SEC potential with the Vols. In Josh Heupel’s system, the center is more crucial than usual because most plays are out of shotgun, but there’s a heavy reliance on the vertical rushing attack. As a result, UT needs Mays to be elite and healthy.