Tennessee football names inactive players, updates Cooper Mays status vs South Carolina
Center Cooper Mays is expected to make his season debut for No. 19 Tennessee football against South Carolina on a revamped offensive line. But four UT players are out.
Starting left guard Andrej Karic, wide receiver Dont'e Thornton, safety Christian Charles and linebacker Keenan Pili will not play against South Carolina, a UT spokesperson announced.
If Mays starts at center, Ollie Lane could slide from center to left guard, or the Vols could try other options.
ESPN reported that Mays, a preseason All-SEC selection, will play for the first time since undergoing a procedure in August. A UT spokesperson confirmed that Mays is available to play.
In warm-ups, Mays snapped to starting quarterback Joe Milton. Two weeks ago, he returned to practice on a limited basis. This is the third consecutive game that Mays has dressed out for the Vols, but he hasn’t played yet.
The Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) play South Carolina (2-2, 1-1) at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network at Neyland Stadium.
UT also has good news on the injury front.
Cornerback Doneiko Slaughter and defensive lineman Elijah Simmons are available to play after missing multiple games due to injury.
Quarterback Joe Milton, wide receiver Ramel Keyton, wide receiver Bru McCoy, running back Jaylen Wright and offensive tackle John Campbell also are available to play after suffering injuries against UTSA last week.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Cooper Mays injury update: Tennessee football inactive players vs South Carolina
