Josh Heupel lists Cooper Mays as a game-time decision for South Carolina game

Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays has yet to appear in a game this season. However, that could be about to change.

Mays is a game-time decision for Saturday’s SEC East matchup with South Carolina, according to head coach Josh Heupel.

Mays has been getting better and better as the season has gone along and Heupel is hopeful he will be able to suit up this weekend.

“Practiced really well. Like those other guys that I talked about, we’ll ensure that through tomorrow, and then obviously game day, that they’re ready to go compete at the level that you need to in this one,” Heupel said. “South Carolina’s big, strong, physical, explosive up front. So hopefully we’ll have him locked and loaded and ready to roll.”

Cooper Mays was arguably the top offensive lineman for the Vols heading into the season, but a preseason injury has kept him off the field to this point.

In August, Mays needed a procedure and was expected to be out for a couple of weeks. He missed the season opener, as expected, but he still hasn’t made it onto the field. That’s despite Tennessee expecting him back for both the Florida and UTSA games beforehand.

Tennessee certainly did miss Cooper Mays in the loss to Florida. In that game, the Volunteers struggled to run the ball in a tough environment.

Mays was a third-team preseason All-SEC selection and was on the Reese’s Senior Bowl watchlist heading into the season.

Josh Heupel anticipates Joe Milton will be at full strength for South Carolina game

While Josh Heupel is unsure if Cooper Mays will be available this Saturday, he does expect quarterback Joe Milton to be at full strength.

Milton went down in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against UTSA after his left knee bent awkwardly during a tackle. Milton got up gingerly, went to the sideline, and would return for the remainder of the game with a brace on his knee.

A picture was circulating on social media of Milton checking in at the UT Medical Center on Sunday. Heupel addressed that earlier this week.

“I know there’s a picture out there. But for us, routinely on Sundays, we’re going to make sure that our players are healthy,” Heupel said. “We have a diagnosis inside with our doctors, but we’re gonna make sure medically they check up on him as well.”

Milton getting his knee evaluated sounds like a standard procedure for the Volunteers, as it is for many teams across the country, as Heupel believes that his quarterback will be just fine when they host the Gamecocks on Saturday night.

“Joe’s been good, feels good. He was with us today so I anticipate him being ready to go play really well,” Heupel said.