College football’s week zero is less than two weeks away and Tennessee’s season opener is less than three weeks away.
With the season quickly approaching, ESPN released its two Preseason All-American teams on Wednesday with Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. and Cooper Mays landing on the list.
Pearce landed as the first team defensive end while Mays was the second team center behind Alabama’s Parker Brailsford.
“Pearce was one of the sport’s breakout stars a year ago and enters his junior season as one of the most feared pass rushers in the country,” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote. He tied for the SEC lead last season with 10 sacks and tied for fifth nationally with 38 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. The 6-5 Pearce has bulked up since arriving on campus and is now 243 pounds. Some scouts think he could be the top defender taken in the 2025 NFL draft.”
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Pearce is coming off a brilliant sophomore season where he totaled 27 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. The talented edge rusher recorded the most sacks by a Tennessee player since Derek Barnett in 2016 and is looking to become the Vols’ first double-digit sack man since Barnett.
The 6-foot-5, 243-pound defensive end took over in three of Tennessee’s best wins during the 2024 season. Pearce recorded two sacks against South Carolina, one sack against Texas A&M and a sack, forced fumble and a pick six in the Vols’ Citrus Bowl win over Iowa. In all three games, Pearce lived in the opponents backfield.
Mays is entering his super senior season in Tennessee’s program and has been the Vols’ starting center since the 2021 season. Injuries have hampered Mays throughout his career but he’s been an effective interior offensive lineman when he’s been able to stay healthy.
The Knoxville native’s importance was evident last year when Tennessee’s offensive line struggled badly early in the season when he was out of the lineup and improved greatly after he returned.
