Vols Return One of the Nation’s Most Experienced Offensive Lines
(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — One of Tennessee football’s most experienced position rooms was highlighted on Monday as UT wrapped up Practice No. 5 of preseason training camp. Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee and a trio of veteran, in-state O-line contributors spoke to media after Monday’s session on Haslam Field to break down the group’s development in the trenches.
Tennessee enters the 2024 campaign with one of the most veteran offensive lines in the country and returns three full-time starters from last season. The room has combined for 284 games played and 113 starts, ranking second and 12th in the FBS, respectively.
Elarbee discussed the impact that experience has on the young offensive lineman and labeled his veterans as ‘coaches’ on the field during fall camp.
“It’s a super veteran crew,” Elarbee said. “There are guys that have played a lot of football. You just go across the board; (Dayne Davis) is a coach on the field. (John Campbell Jr.) is a coach on the field. (Cooper Mays) is always a coach on the field. (Javontez Spraggins), coach on the field. (Andrej Karic) in his second year has become a great coach on the field. They know it so well, and they’re helping bring those young guys along.”
A preseason first team All-America and All-SEC selection, Cooper Mays provides continuity for the offense as he enters his fourth straight season as the starting center. The Kingston native was available to media on Monday and spoke about his connection with redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava heading into his fifth season with the program.
“Nico is so mature for his age,” Mays said. “He’s a younger guy, but he doesn’t act like that … We just have to be really communicative. Kind of the whole offense in general, but especially with me and the quarterback, you have to talk a lot and kind of pick each other’s brain. He tries to see how I’m seeing things and I’m trying to see how he sees things. So, just trying to get on the same page there has been really cool.”
