Tennessee Football Lands Two Players on First Team All-American List

Tennessee Volunteers football program lands two players on the preseason All-American lists.

Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays (63) plays at center during a football game between Tennessee and South Carolina at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

Tennessee Volunteers football program lands two players on the preseason All-American lists.

The Tennessee Volunteers will have some headline-worthy players on both sides of the football this season. So much so, that the Volunteers have landed two of their players on the Walter Camp Football All-American list for both of the offensive and defensive unit.

The first team All-American list consists of center Cooper Mays and edge rusher James Pearce Jr. With Tennessee starting a Nico Iamaleava at quarterback this season in his first season as the full-time starter, it's good for the Volunteers to have some top players in the nation for him to lean on.

ESPN's Matt Miller recently released his latest first-round NFL mock draft. Miller had Pearce Jr. going fourth overall and staying home with the Tennessee Titans. Here is what Miller wrote about the pick:

"This is a prove-it season for quarterback Will Levis as a second-year starter, but the early returns were good enough that we can forget about quarterbacks at the top of the draft for now. Instead, the Titans could land my preseason No. 1 overall player -- and an in-state prospect. At 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, Pearce has special quickness around the edge, picking up 9.5 sacks last season. He also flashed his all-around game with a 52-yard pick-six last season. Pearce would be an instant boost opposite Harold Landry III."

The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to improve upon what they accomplished last season under head coach Josh Heupel, and that starts with players like May and Pearce Jr. living up to the preseason hype. If they do that, then Tennessee will be in good shape to be a potential playoff team this year.

Other Tennessee News:

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• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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