Cooper Mays delivered heartbreaking response to playing his last Tennessee game

It's easy to forget that after the Tennessee Vols suffered a rough loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday night, it also meant the college careers came to a close for several standout seniors. The list includes stud offensive lineman Cooper Mays.

Mays has represented Tennessee like a true Vol from the moment he made his way to campus. The center went through some difficult times with the program, but he busted his hump to help UT reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

That's why everything is all bittersweet for him right now. After the final whistle against Ohio State, Mays met with the press and you could see just how sad he was knowing he won't be putting on a Tennessee jersey and taking the field again. He was beyond emotional looking back on his time in Knoxville too:

Cooper Mays was quite emotional following the Tennessee loss to Ohio State

As you can see in that clip above, this all is not easy for Mays. He was hoping that he and the Vols could go on a deep College Football Playoff run and prove that Tennessee is ready to be considered elite again. Unfortunately, Ohio State dominated play from start to finish.

While fans are disappointed by the result, it doesn't take anything away from these players. The Vols went 10-2 during the regular season, finished in the Top 10 and booked a trip to the CFP. Before Week 1, UT was picked to finish seventh in the SEC.

Yeah, the team went ahead and exceeded expectations. Mays made some history too, becoming the first Tennessee offensive lineman ever to be named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. He may be feeling a little low right now, but Mays has nothing to hang his head about.

Mays gave his all while donning orange gear and people are always going to appreciate how he played such a big role in turning things around for Tennessee as well. Cheers to a great college career, Mr. Mays.