Tennessee center Cooper Mays has more football intelligence as a collegiate senior than most people do in a lifetime.
Cooper’s father Kevin and brother Cade both played at Tennessee during their collegiate careers, paving the way for Cooper’s emergence in the 2020s. Cooper Mays has been a longtime staple of the Tennessee program and has become one of the faces of the Josh Heupel era as a talented, respected, and dangerous player in the league.
A graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School, Mays began his career at Tennessee as a freshman during the COVID-altered 2020 season, starting two games during the 10-game season and cementing himself as one of the building blocks of Tennessee’s future despite anticipating a new coach in just his second year.
Mays went on to start eight games at center during his sophomore season in 2021, started all 13 games of his junior season in 2022, and most recently started the final nine games of his senior season in 2023 after missing the first four with an injury. Mays has been a foundational piece of Glen Elarbee’s offensive line, both on and off the field, earning himself All-SEC Second Team and SEC Academic Honor Roll selections after the 2023 season and two preseason All-American selections heading into his fifth year this upcoming fall.
“Cooper Mays, preseason all-American center, has started for us for four straight years,” head coach Josh Heupel said about his center during his opening statement on Tuesday. “It’s in his blood to be on Rocky Top. His father played there. His brother played there. It’s vitally important to him, and he’s a great member of our squad, and he’s got great understanding of who we are offensively, the ability to communicate and has great leadership skills as well.”
While Tennessee has a loaded offensive line of veteran players this season – likely four starting seniors with one sophomore – the Vols also have a lot of young talent that is building their way to playing time during the 2025 season. Tennessee has former recruits such as Gage Ginther, Trevor Duncan, Sham Umarov, Bennett Warren, Vysen Lang, and William Satterwhite – to name a few – who are all waiting to earn their spot on the field.
While Mays is in constant communication with his teammates in the room, the Tennessee veteran offered some advice to the young linemen in the trenches as he enters his fifth year of collegiate football at Tennessee.
“I would just say — man, that’s a good question,” Mays answered as he quickly pondered his response. “I would say take every rep and do it the right way. Even when it comes to workouts, like don’t miss anything and not apply it to football. Not everything’s going to be super applicable to football, but you can tweak everything and make it work, you know what I’m saying? I would say take every rep and try to make it fit into what you want to accomplish.”
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The response also prompted Mays to look back at some of the conversations he had with himself earlier in his career.
“I spent a lot of my time just wasting time, just doing stuff, you know what I’m saying?” Mays continued on to say. “You’ve got six plays, Coop. Okay, I’ll go out there and do them. Try to go out there and make every rep be applicable to what you’re trying to accomplish that week or just in general as a football player.”
Mays expanded on his own career reflection later in the interview, explaining how summer workouts going into his fifth year of college ball differs from going into his, say, second year of college ball.
“Just trying to stay focused,” Mays said. “I’ve been here for so long it seems like and you just kind of get stuck in like a little hamster wheel. So just trying to make the most out of every day and doing the right stuff. I’ve got of got different rules going on now that I’m older, trying to be more of a leader and everything. Just trying to grow in all facets.”
While Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a highly-touted quarterback – and make no mistake, he certainly is – the Vols’ starting signal caller will be heading into the 2024 season with only one start under his belt. While Iamaleava has the confidence of his teammates and the coaching staff at just 19 years old (will turn 20 after Week 1 on Sept. 2), Mays’ role as the signal caller of the offensive line at the center position will be ultra important throughout the year. Mays has experience both at home and on the road, both in good times and bad, to know how to lead a young quarterback into battle.
“Really excited for Nico, a kid that has come in and just gotten right to work and been really humble and really a kid that’s willing to soak up any information that anybody will give him,” Mays said about his quarterback. “I don’t know if you really block for him any different. Obviously that — you can’t really think about stuff like that, but playing with a guy like him that can get out and make plays and make stuff right, it does help as an O-lineman.”
Stay tuned for more SEC Media Days coverage from Rocky Top Insider.
