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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Marion’s Myles Mays parlays prep success into opportunity at UTC

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Marion County senior defensive lineman Myles Mays, left, closes in on visiting York Institute quarterback Nathaniel Tipton during a TSSAA Class 2A semifinal on Nov. 29 in Jasper, Tenn. Mays has signed with UTC as one of 17 additions from the high school ranks in the Mocs' class of 23 for the current recruiting cycle.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Marion County senior defensive lineman Myles Mays, left, closes in on visiting York Institute quarterback Nathaniel Tipton during a TSSAA Class 2A semifinal on Nov. 29 in Jasper, Tenn. Mays has signed with UTC as one of 17 additions from the high school ranks in the Mocs' class of 23 for the current recruiting cycle.

Myles Mays was good enough to play varsity football as a freshman at Northwest Whitfield High School.

He just wasn’t sure what came next after he got his first-ever sack.

“I didn’t know what to do as a celebration, but it was amazing,” Mays said. “I had all my teammates propping me up, and it kind of became an addiction after that.”

And as for the celebrations, he figured that part out, too, thanks to the consistent repetitions of getting to the quarterback over a four-year prep career that culminated in him signing with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive end was one of six UTC signees from the high school ranks announced Wednesday, the start of the second signing period for NCAA Division I football in the 2025 signing cycle. Along with college transfer additions announced Wednesday, the Mocs have 23 signees, with 11 of those coming from the early signing period in December.