Cade Mays was Georgia's starting right guard the past two seasons when the Bulldogs squared off against Tennessee.
There is a very good chance that Mays starts at right tackle Saturday when his new team, the No. 14 Volunteers, face the No. 3 Bulldogs inside his former home of Sanford Stadium. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound former five-star signee out of Knoxville Catholic is on the verge of becoming the first player in Southeastern Conference football history to play his true freshman and sophomore seasons at one school and then go against that school the very next year as a junior.
Not that anyone involved this Saturday wants to enhance the uniqueness of the moment.
"I know that Cade is really happy that he is getting a chance to play and is very thankful of that," Tennessee third-year coach Jeremy Pruitt said Monday afternoon. "He went against most of these guys every single day. When you're a competitor on both sides of the ball - it won't be any different for the kids from Georgia, because they're used to going against Cade, and Cade is used to going against them.
"They will be real familiar with each other."
Mays started at right tackle this past weekend in Tennessee's 35-12 trampling of Missouri, which improved the Vols to 2-0 and helped set up the first top-15 showdown in this series since 2006. His start transpired just three days after the SEC allowed immediate intraconference transfer waivers for the first time.
Last Wednesday's league ruling also affected Kentucky quarterback Joey Gatewood, a transfer from Auburn, but Gatewood did not play in Saturday's 42-41 overtime loss to Ole Miss.
Mays also played right guard and left tackle against Mizzou, displaying the versatility that made him a regular fixture for the Bulldogs, and he also was on the field for a handful of snaps with younger brother Cooper, a true freshman. Tennessee's official Twitter account posted a picture of the Mays brothers together with the caption, "It's a family thing."
Cooper retweeted the image with the message, "It's the pleasure of my life to be able to share this experience with you, brother."
In his two seasons at Georgia, Mays started 18 times. He earned Freshman All-America recognition in 2018 and played all five positions up front a year ago.
"I've got a lot of respect for Cade as a player and a person, and that's all I can say about it," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday when asked if the transfer decision surprised him. "He's no longer with us. I am looking forward to the matchup. He's a really good football player and one of the toughest players that I have been around."
Said current Georgia right guard Ben Cleveland: "We were always good whenever he was here, and you can't shake your head at the kid for wanting to do what he felt was best for himself and his family."
Odds and ends
Tennessee senior running back Ty Chandler's 176 rushing yards through two games leads the SEC. Pruitt repeatedly said Monday that he is seeking improvement in every area, adding that the Vols have been very inconsistent in the back end defensively so far. When asked what it meant when lawyers representing Mays called Georgia a "toxic environment," Pruitt said, "I have no idea. I was not involved in those conversations." Pruitt said that redshirt freshman defensive lineman Elijah Simmons, who had to be helped off the field against Mizzou, should be fine to play this week. Vols senior defensive back Shawn Shamburger has yet to play this season due to COVID-related issues, and Pruitt hasn't given the green light for him this week, either. When asked about the improved running game against Mizzou, Pruitt said, "We ran one particular play 10 times and only blocked it right four times."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.