Jeremy Pruitt talks addition of Cade Mays

Tennessee rocked the SEC East this week, finding a way to bring Cade Mays home from Athens. The former five-star prospect headed south to Georgia in 2018, leaving the hometown Vols to go play for the rival Bulldogs. The decision was understandable, considering what Tennessee and new head coach Jeremy Pruitt were facing over the next few years.

This week, Mays came home. And due to a lawsuit over a the severed finger of his father Kevin, who played at Tennessee in the 90s, Mays might just be able to play right away.

God bless the SEC.

On Thursday, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt released a statement on the addition of Mays, detailing what he’s going to bring to the table for the Volunteers.

“We are excited to welcome Cade to the University of Tennessee,” Pruitt said in the release. “Cade is a great fit because of his familiarity with Tennessee and Knoxville. He will get to play with his brother, Cooper, at the school where his dad, Kevin, played.

“As a guy with multiple years of starting experience on the offensive line in the SEC, Cade is a tremendous addition to our program. He’s tough and he’s powerful, and he is a versatile player, who can line up anywhere on the offensive line. He will have an impact on the field, and he will also have a positive effect on our team and in the offensive line room with his leadership ability. We added a lot of great young players in December and it’s exciting to also add a veteran like Cade to the Vols.”

Mays joins an offensive line returning each of its starters from 2019. Assuming he does get the waiver to play, you can expect him to slide into either a guard or right tackle role for Tennessee. As Pruitt mentioned, Mays has played every position on the offensive line for Georgia, providing Will Friend with a versatile puzzle piece up front.

Sophomores Wanya Morris, Darnell Wright return after gaining tons of experience in their freshman seasons. Sixth year senior Brandon Kennedy acquired a medical waiver from the NCAA to return, while senior Trey Smith put the NFL on hold to complete a ridiculously talented group up front.

So in the matter of about 25 months, Jeremy Pruitt has taken the offensive line from the weakest part of the roster to the strongest. Not bad.