Tennessee’s Mays Receives NCAA Clearance

Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt told the media today that the NCAA approved the appeal for immediate eligibility for highly touted transfer offensive lineman Cade Mays. Mays transferred form the University of Georgia to the University of Tennessee this spring after starting the last two seasons for the Bulldogs.

Mays' transfer gives the Volunteers one of the top interior offensive lineman in the SEC and should aide Tennessee's efforts for an improved offensive line. Mays was a Freshman All-American in 2018 for the Bulldogs.

Mays, a Knoxville native watched his younger brother, Cooper, sign with the Volunteers last November, his father, Kevin Mays, was a guard at Tennessee and made All-SEC in 1994.

Cade's parents are in the middle of a lawsuit with the University of Georgia, stemming back to a recruiting visit in 2017 that resulted in an amputated right pinky finger for his father, Kevin.

Kevin's finger was partially amputated after getting caught between a folding chair and a column. His finger was severed and could not be re-attached. According to the lawsuit the Mays family is seeking $3 million due to lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering.

Though Mays now has clearance by the NCAA for immediate eligibility he was initially denied. Mays must now be cleared by the SEC in order to play this season. Pruitt said he has not spoken with members of the conference office yet about the matter.

Should the conference decide he may play this season, Tennessee will add a quality interior lineman that will bolster the running game and the pass protection.