Cooper Mays on Tennessee transfer tackle Lance Heard: 'I think he'll be a really, really good player'

Cooper Mays likes the mix of veterans and newcomers on Tennessee Football’s offensive line. The likes of John Campbell, Javontez Spraggins, Jackson Lampley, Andrej Karic, Dayne Davis and Mays himself are back. New talent, like LSU transfer tackle Lance Heard, has joined the group.

“Our (offensive) linemen are a bunch of good guys, super talented in my opinion,” Mays said on Tuesday, “and (we have) a lot of experience under our belt, too.”

That’s why Mays disagreed at SEC Media Days in Dallas when he was asked about the offensive line being “a question mark” for the Vols this season.

“I would think that it’s probably a strong point for our team, in my opinion,” Mays said, “ … I would say it’s a strong point.”

Lance Heard: No. 9 overall prospect in On3 NCAA Transfer Portal rankings

Josh Heupel and his Tennessee coaching staff are hoping Heard adds to the strength of the group, matched alongside Campbell at offensive tackle.

He was one of the top offensive linemen in the NCAA Transfer Portal during the offseason before committing to Tennessee in January.

Heard was a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, signing with LSU as the No. 11 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking.

He was the No. 4 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana, out of Neville High School in Monroe.

Brian Kelly on Lance Heard: ‘We hope he has great success where he is’

Heard transferred after his freshman season with the Tigers with juniors Will Campbell and Emery Jones starting at the tackle spots.

“You don’t want to lose anybody (in) your program that you’ve recruited,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said on Monday in Dallas. “But there are times within your program that you present what the situation is and if it’s not agreeable to both sides then you have to move on.

“We wish him the best and hope he has great success. He’s a good kid. And he gets a chance to play at an SEC school that will give him a high profile and an opportunity to have great success. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. It doesn’t mean that anybody is as fault as much as we hope he has great success where he is.”

A lot of success is what Mays said he sees in Heard’s future.

“I expect him to have a great year and a great career,” Mays said. “… (He’s a) kid that has a lot of physical tools, huge, huge powerful guy and long arms. That’s kind of a recipe for success when it comes to O-line.

“Really excited to see how he grows and develops. He’s still a young kid, so he’s got a lot of stuff to get through and work through, but I think he’ll be a really, really good player.”