Josh Heupel believes Tennessee will get Cooper Mays back from injury

Josh Heupel provided a positive update on Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays on Wednesday.

It was revealed by Heupel earlier this summer that Mays had underwent a minor procedure, but not to worry, “He’ll be back, he’ll be healthy as we get close to kickoff. Anticipate that being a couple week deal,” the Tennessee coach said.

Now, he’s doubling down on that sentiment, as Heupel explained during a press conference on Wednesday that he believes Mays will be back on the field sooner rather than later.

“We believe we’ll have an opportunity to have him back,” said Heupel. “Everything’s gone well, since you know, he you know, missed training camp and had the issue that he had, but at the same time, and it’s true for every position, but in particular the offensive line, you’ve better have contingency plans.

“You don’t know when that’s going to happen. A guy gets an ankle. You guys have seen that since we’ve been here. So every week you’ve got to understand where you’re at going into the game, how you want to manage it and play those guys if you’re healthy, but if something happens to one of those five guys, somebody gets nicked up, who’s the next in? How are you shuffling your front five if in particular your center goes down? So those are things that you work through every training camp, and throughout the course of the season.”

Moreover, Cooper Mays is one of Tennessee’s most experienced linemen and a third-team preseason All-SEC selection by the league’s media.

He has played in 31 career games and made 23 starts, with all of his starts coming at the center position. He’s been an anchor in the middle for the Volunteers, having started in 19 straight games going into the 2023 campaign.

Tennessee is set to open the season on Sept. 2 against Virginia in a game that will be played in Nashville, Tenn. Cooper Mays will certainly hope to be on the first-team unit that trots out there to greet the Cavaliers, with the Volunteers having lofty expectations for the 2023 campaign after winning 11 games and the Orange Bowl a year ago.

Nevertheless, Tennessee is roaring on all cylinders as the season approaches. They’ll just be looking to have their stud offensive lineman on the field with them to hopefully have a repeat of 2022 this season.