Cade Mays has changed his Southeastern Conference location and his uniform colors from red and black to orange and white.
He's changed his tune, too.
As a Georgia sophomore during the 2019 football season, Mays played all five positions for the Bulldogs up front and was loving every minute of it.
"They always travel seven offensive linemen in the NFL, and being able to play every one of those positions will help me should somebody go down over here or somebody go down over there," Mays said at that time. "It has been a blast, especially at home. No matter what position I'm playing, there are 93,000 people here to watch us, and that's awesome."
Now in his second season at Tennessee, the 6-foot-6, 325-pound senior out of Knoxville Catholic is having fun maximizing his potential at one position. Mays is entrenched at right tackle, and he has yet to allow a sack in 304 snaps entering Saturday's noon showdown against South Carolina (3-2, 0-2 SEC) inside Neyland Stadium.
Mays did not allow a quarterback pressure or commit a penalty during last week's 62-24 win at Missouri, when the Volunteers (3-2, 1-1) amassed 683 total yards and 458 rushing yards.
"It's been kind of a breath of fresh air," Mays said this week, "because in all my years of college, one week I'm playing this position and the next week I'm playing this position - halfway through this game I've got to switch over here. It's been cool to be able to focus on my craft in one aspect of the game.
"I've only been playing it since fall camp, so I haven't been playing it very long. I'm trying to take a step every day and every week."
Mays is the reigning SEC offensive lineman of the week for his performance at Mizzou, where Tennessee's rushing tally was the highest for the program since 513 yards against Washington & Lee in 1951. The Vols were stout from the start against the Tigers, racking up 217 first-quarter yards in taking a 28-3 lead.
"He's a guy who's got great understanding," Tennessee first-year coach Josh Heupel said. "If you're up near the line of scrimmage during practice, you're going to hear him communicating with his guards and sometimes with his center. He's got a great understanding of how it all plays in together."
Communicating with his center for Mays has often meant communicating with younger brother Cooper, who has battled injuries since the start of the year. Jerome Carvin has shifted from guard to center as a result, which has left the elder Mays continuing to plant roots at what seems to be his permanent home.
"I didn't really have a preference before the season, but I kind of knew I might have to play tackle," said Mays, who made six starts at right guard last year. "I've tried to lose a little weight so I can be faster on the edge."
Hanging with the best
In a season when every team is looking to emulate No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia, the Vols are doing their part in terms of fast starts.
Alabama has outscored opponents 73-3 in the first quarter, while Georgia has been even better with its 91-6 disparity. Tennessee is certainly holding its own as well, outscoring foes 73-13 within the first 15 minutes.
"When it's going good, guys are doing their job, and that's on offense and defense," Heupel said Wednesday on the SEC teleconference. "Guys are dialed in and paying attention to details, and that as much as anything plays a part in how you start or how you finish.
"In this football game coming up, I think the start will be important, too."
Beamer homecoming
South Carolina first-year coach Shane Beamer knows what a frenzied Neyland Stadium sounds like, having served as a graduate assistant under Phillip Fulmer during the 2001-03 seasons. The Vols went 29-10 in that three-year stretch and were 30 minutes away from playing top-ranked Miami for the 2001 national championship before LSU rallied for a 31-20 win in that year's SEC title game.
"I'm looking to forward to going back to Knoxville," Beamer said. "I still have a lot of great friends there."
Coming up short
Running back Kevin Harris was the bright spot of South Carolina's miserable 2-8 season last year, rushing for 113.8 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry despite being the obvious focal point of opposing defenses.
The 5-foot-10, 220-pound junior from Hinesville, Georgia, is nowhere close to that pace this season, averaging 35.5 yards per game and 3.1 per rush.
"I think it's a combination of things," Beamer said. "Kevin had (back) surgery over the summertime, and he missed all of preseason camp. When he came back from the injury and was cleared to play, he had an illness he was dealing with for about two weeks. The East Carolina game, the second game of the season, was the first week that he had even practiced at all.
"He was learning a new system with a couple of new starters on the offensive line and without continuity at the quarterback position, and then he's still trying to get himself back at 100% shape and in midseason form. He's getting closer every week, and I have no worries about Kevin."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.