KNOXVILLE — Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday ahead of the 2020 season.
Following the Vols’ first practice of camp, third-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt announced that offensive lineman Cade Mays had his request to play immediately denied by the NCAA.
Mays transferred from Georgia to Tennessee in January and will need an NCAA waiver to play immediately during the 2020 season. Tennessee will appeal the NCAA’s decision to not grant Mays an immediate waiver to play.
After Friday’s practice, Pruitt again discussed Mays and Tennessee’s process to seek a waiver from the NCAA.
“It’s interesting to me, for him, that the NCAA and everybody associated with college athletics, we always try to serve the kids, right, and Cade’s a guy, that based off of none of his doing, he has nothing to do with it. There’s a circumstance there obviously with a lawsuit between his parents and the University of Georgia, and it was something that started while he was there. I’m sure he worked hard to be the best player he could be. I’m sure there was probably pressure on both sides from their coaching staff and him as player. It’s just something that doesn’t happen a whole lot. So it is an unusual circumstance.
“Him electing to transfer and us applying for a waiver, to me, it’s just common sense. If there’s a lawsuit going on with your employer, it’s probably not the healthiest situation in the world and that’s not bashing anybody at Georgia, that’s just common sense to me. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to play this year. He’s working hard every day, just like he’s going to. It would be very disappointing on many levels if any kid, in this pandemic, is denied the opportunity to play.”
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Mays competed in 25 games for the Bulldogs (2018-19), starting 18 contests.
In 2019, Mays started six games at right guard, two at right tackle, two at left guard and at left tackle in the Sugar Bowl.