ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel has reported that Tennessee football starting center Cooper Mays is expected to be inactive for the Vols’ season opener against Virginia.
The news comes after Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was noncommittal about Mays’ status on Thursday.
Guard Ollie Lane will fill in for Mays at center. Lane has been in the thick of the left guard battle in fall camp, and if Mays were healthy, Lane would have likely started there.
But ever since Mays got injured in early August, Lane has been working as the starting center in practice preparing to start.
Lane has five career starts at Tennessee, all of which came in 2021, but none were at center. The sixth-year senior has been a contributor along the offensive line for the past two seasons, seeing 462 snaps in 2021 and 123 in 2022.
Last year, Lane did well when he was on the field, committing zero penalties.
Mays’ absence is significant for Tennessee against Virginia, but it’s more important for him to be healthy by Week 3 when the Vols travel to Florida.
Mays has started 23 games in the past three seasons and, along with Javontez Spraggins, is one of the most important pieces along the offensive line.
Tennessee’s season opener against Virginia kicks off at 12 p.m. ET in Nissan Stadium on ABC.
