Even though spring football practice is winding down for Tennessee, the offensive line room still seems new and a bit bizarre for Volunteers senior center Cooper Mays.
That's a result of right tackle Darnell Wright, left guard Jerome Carvin and their 85 combined career starts no longer being there.
"There is a world of difference for sure," Mays said this week in a news conference. "It's really hard missing two guys like that. Obviously what Darnell had done was really special with the production he had against the best competition.
"Jerome had been here so long, so we lost a great player and a great leader. I love both of those guys, and losing them has been hard for me."
Vols players were off Wednesday and will practice Thursday morning to tune up for Saturday afternoon's Orange & White game.
The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder from Knoxville went through his first two seasons at Tennessee as the younger brother of Cade Mays, the former right tackle for the Vols who was drafted last April by the Carolina Panthers. Though not as heralded as his older sibling, Mays played in all 10 games as a freshman during the COVID-altered 2020 season, making two starts, and he added eight more starts in 2021.
As the only Mays on last year's roster, he played a whopping 825 snaps on an offense that led the nation in points (46.1) and yards (525.5) per game, and he entered this spring as the unquestioned leader up front.
"He's kind of been the cowbell," Tennessee third-year offensive line coach Glen Elarbee said. "He's gotten after guys when things haven't been right. He has led in the meeting room, and he has coached on the field. I was running a drill the other day, and two young guys weren't doing it right. Before I can even get to correct them, Cooper came out of nowhere and blurred across my face and grabbed them and started demonstrating and doing it.
"I think that kind of leadership translates. My guys see that."
When asked about his authoritative role, Mays said: "I feel like I was a decent leader last year and kind of made my mark a little bit, but I think Jerome was the head of that room. I was kind of the supporting piece beside him."
Mays has played 1,475 career offensive snaps for the Vols and has allowed just four sacks. He was the Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the week after helping the team amass a program-record 724 yards in the 66-24 obliteration of Missouri last October, when he didn't allow a single pressure in 75 snaps.
Even in Tennessee's 27-13 early November loss at Georgia, which has been the nation's most talent-rich program the past couple of seasons, Mays didn't allow a pressure in 80 snaps.
Yet Mays doesn't want to rest on what has been done. In recent weeks, he has studied tape of Kevin Mawae, the former LSU standout who was an NFL center for 16 seasons and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
"He was a smaller guy like me," Mays said. "He preached how pass protection isn't passive. I've tried to mix up stuff in the pass game, taking different sets and closing distances. That's been a big emphasis for me.
"Every year is a battle of trying to get stronger, bigger and more experienced."
The Wright stuff
Vols senior running back Jabari Small has been out this spring after undergoing shoulder surgery in January, while junior running back Jaylen Wright has been limited. Running backs coach Jerry Mack said this week that Wright's spring has not gone to waste.
"Jaylen hasn't practiced as much as we would like him to, but he has surely grown," Mack said. "In those six or seven times that he did practice, he was looking like the best version we have seen of him."
Baseball update
Tennessee followed Saturday's 14-2 run-rule win over Florida in eight innings with Tuesday's 14-2 run-rule victory over Eastern Kentucky in seven innings. Blake Burke collected his 12th home run for the No. 16 Vols against the Colonels, while shortstop Maui Ahuna returned to the lineup.
The Vols, who are 23-10 overall and 5-7 in league play, will travel to No. 5 Arkansas this weekend, with Friday night's opener to be televised by the SEC Network at 8 Eastern.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.