Tennessee head coach Butch Jones checks on injured offensive lineman Coleman Thomas (55) during an NCAA football game against Southern Mississippi at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 in Knoxville, Tenn.KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's 2018 football recruiting class suffered a major loss Tuesday when five-star offensive lineman Cade Mays from Knoxville Catholic High School officially decommitted from the Volunteers.
Mays, the top-rated high school senior in the state, had been committed to Tennessee since July 2015. He announced his decommitment on Twitter.
"I would like to thank Coach Jones, Coach Wells, and the rest of the UT staff for everything they have done for me in the past 2 years," Mays posted on the social media website. "Many people I have come in contact with at the University of Tennessee have had a tremendous impact on my life."
A five-star prospect ranked as the nation's second-best offensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class, Mays was viewed as a linchpin in the Vols' group. His father, Kevin Mays, played offensive line at Tennessee from 1990 to 1994.
The news comes at a time when the Vols (4-5, 0-5 SEC) are struggling with a lack of depth in their offensive line and Butch Jones sits on the hot seat in his fifth year as the program's head coach.
Tennessee had six healthy scholarship offensive linemen - four of them freshmen - suited up in Saturday's 24-10 win over Southern Mississippi because of injuries and attrition at the position.
When junior offensive guard Jack Jones was forced to give up the sport last month because of recurring neck and shoulder injuries, Jones said offensive line recruiting "is paramount for this football program."
"It's great in terms of recruiting because individuals are going to have the opportunity to come in and play immediately," Jones said then. "So obviously, that recruiting element is big just in terms of our lack of numbers and lack of depth right now."
With Mays' decision, Tennessee has two offensive linemen committed in the 2018 recruiting class: three-star prospects Tanner Antonutti from Nashville's Ensworth High School and Ollie Lane from Knoxville's Gibbs High.
Verbal commitments are nonbinding, and Mays could still ultimately decide to attend Tennessee. College football's first-ever early signing period runs Dec. 20-22 this year.
Mays has visited Georgia and Clemson in recent weeks.
He is the latest prospect to renege on his verbal pledge to the Vols in the course of a tough season for Jones and his staff. Brendon Harris, a four-star safety from Baylor School, reopened his recruitment last month and soon committed to Vanderbilt.
Jatavious Harris, a wide receiver from Milledgeville, Ga., also reopened his recruitment last month and is no longer listed as a Tennessee recruit by Rivals.com or 247Sports.
Smith enjoys 'island'
True freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith received good reviews for his first start at left tackle in the Southern Miss game. Offensive coordinator Larry Scott said Monday that having Smith able to play left tackle "really helps us moving forward." Tackles Brett Kendrick and Drew Richmond are questionable for this week's game at Missouri.
Smith said Tuesday that playing tackle is "a different world" compared to playing guard, where he started the first eight games of the season.
"You're on an island essentially," Smith said. "I know when I started playing it in training camp I told my coaches and friends, 'Man, being at tackle, you've got to be a man out there.' You're not getting much help like you would at guard or center. You're really on your own with a lot of things."
TV time for LSU
Tennessee's visit from LSU next week will be the Vols' third straight night game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.