 Mays in 2019 | |
| Tennessee Volunteers–No. 63 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 11, 2001 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 310 lb (141 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tennessee) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Cooper Morgan Mays (born March 11, 2001) is an American football center who plays for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Mays was born on March 11, 2001. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, but grew up on a farm in Kingston, Tennessee. [1] Mays attended Knoxville Catholic High School, [2] where he played football. After being named an all-state player by the TSWA during his junior and senior years, Mays was rated as a four-star recruit and a consensus top-ten center in his class. [3] Mays committed to play college football for the University of Tennessee [4] over Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Georgia. [5]
In his freshman year, Mays played in ten games for Tennessee and started two. [6] Mays started eight games the following year despite an injury that caused him to miss six games during the year. In his junior year, Mays started all thirteen games of the season and helped the Tennessee offensive line be named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award and the Tennessee offense be ranked number one in the nation. [7] [8] Before the 2023 season, Mays was named on the preseason watchlist for the Rimington Trophy. [9] On August 9, Mays underwent surgery for a hernia. [10] The procedure caused him to miss the first four games of the season; nevertheless, Mays started the final nine games and again was a part of the Tennessee offensive line that was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. [11] [12] [13] Additionally, Mays was named a member of the second-team All-SEC team. [14] Mays elected to use the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA for the shortened 2020 season and return to Tennessee for a fifth year. [15] [16] Before the 2024 season started, Mays was named on the watchlist for the first and second All-SEC teams, [17] the first and second All-American teams, [18] along with the Outland Trophy [19] and the Rimington Trophy. [20] Following the regular season, Mays was named to the first-team All-SEC team [21] and became the first finalist for the Rimington Trophy in Tennessee football history. [22] Additionally, Mays was named a first-team All-American. [23]
Mays' brother, Cade Mays, played football at Tennessee with Cooper before becoming an offensive lineman in the NFL. [24] [25] [26] Mays' father, Kevin, also played football at Tennessee, playing from 1991 to 1994 and serving as captain of the team. [27] [28] Mays graduated with a degree in sports management in 2024. [29]
Joshua Kenneth Heupel is an American college football coach and former player who is the head football coach at the University of Tennessee. Previously he was head coach at the University of Central Florida, where he compiled a 28–8 record.
John Terrill Majors was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1956. After playing one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL), Majors became a college assistant coach. He served as the head coach at Iowa State University (1968–1972), the University of Pittsburgh, and Tennessee (1977–1992), compiling a career college football record of 185–137–10. His 1976 Pittsburgh squad won a national championship after capping a 12–0 season with a victory in the Sugar Bowl. Majors was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1987.
Michael Jerome Oher is an American former professional football tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football at the University of Mississippi, where he earned unanimous All-American honors as a senior, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He spent his first five seasons with the Ravens and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVII. He later played one season for the Tennessee Titans and his final two for the Carolina Panthers.
The Tennessee Volunteers football program represents the University of Tennessee (UT).
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The 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997. The Volunteers were given a preseason ranking of No. 10 in the AP Poll.
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The 2001 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Phillip Fulmer. The Vols played their home games in Neyland Stadium and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Vols finished the season 10–2, 7–1 in SEC play and won the Florida Citrus Bowl, 45–17, over Michigan. Tennessee had National Championship aspirations late in the season. A loss in the SEC Championship to LSU ended any chance of a National Championship for the Volunteers.
Ryan Patrick Kelly is an American professional football center for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the Colts in first round of the 2016 NFL draft.
The Kentucky–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers. The border rivals have faced off on the gridiron since 1893, making it one of the oldest series in major college football. It was close in the early years, with Kentucky holding a series lead after the first 22 match-ups, but since the early 1930s, Tennessee has dominated the cross-border rivalry. Even -yeared games are played in Knoxville, and odd-yeared games are played in Lexington. The game has never been contested in any other location.
The 2018 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt. They finished the season 5–7, 2–6 in SEC play to finish in last place in the Eastern Division.
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The 2023 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team was led by Kirby Smart in his eighth year as Georgia's head coach. The Bulldogs entered this season as the two-time defending consensus national champions.
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