Cooper Mays gauges how helmet communication will affect offense, how hard playing fast is

New communication systems coming soon to college football are set to allow coaches to make contact their players through in-helmet devices.

For an offense like Tennessee‘s which is predicated on speed and maintaining tempo, eliminating the need to use signals to give the quarterback the next play could give the Vols an upper hand when it comes to increasing speed even more in that regard.

While it’s a fantastic notion for Vol fans — All-SEC center Cooper Mays isn’t so sure this will improve the game the way that many think. In fact, it’s been business as usual in Knoxville as they navigate their new form of communication.

“It doesn’t doesn’t change much for us,” Mays told On3’s Andy Staples. “You know, the biggest thing our coaches preach to us is that we are fast. Like, we are fast.”

To put into perspective how fast Heupel had his team going in 2022, Tennessee’s offense went viral when Mays’ fellow offensive lineman Jeremiah Crawford, who is heading to the NFL Draft next month, casually vomited all over the grass in Neyland Stadium during the offense’s huddle, got set and played the next snap within a 20 second span.

Mays was lucky not to get caught in the blast, but goes to show how much Heupel expects out of his offensive lineman given the added stressor of having to keep pace with the skill position players surrounding them.

“If you if you watch the clip I’m facing right toward him,” Mays explained. “I didn’t react. It’s not because I didn’t see it, it’s because I wasn’t really surprised and we’ve all kind of been there. I mean, there were days, literally, I remember back in the day it was so bad transitioning to the offense. I had thrown up on the ball one play and had to snap it back to [Hendon Hooker]. Being the pro he is, he didn’t skip a beat. He put a great ball in play.”

Similar speed will be showcased in Knoxville in 2024 with new QB1 Nico Iamaleava running the show. Whether Mays is proven right that the new form of in-helmet communication won’t impact Tennessee’s offense next season, fans get their first look at the Vols using the new technology when Tennessee hosts its annual Orange & White, which is set for April 13 inside Neyland Stadium.

The event will be held at a 10,000-person capacity due to ongoing construction.