The Tennessee Vols need to find a solution in 2024 to a big problem they could have in 2025

It's a little bit early to start worrying about the Tennessee Vols in 2025 considering we're still a few months away from the 2024 season. 

But there's a problem the Vols could face in 2025 that needs to be solved before next offseason -- especially if the Vols want to compete for a national championship in 2025. 

Earlier this offseason, offensive lineman Cooper Mays announced he's returning to Tennessee for his final season of eligibility. 

Mays, who has made 32 career starts at center for the Vols while playing over 2,000 career snaps, is one of the most important players on Tennessee's roster. 

The Knoxville native was sorely missed last season when he missed the first four games of the year. Tennessee's offense looked out of sync without Mays in the lineup -- specifically against Austin Peay and Florida. 

Mays, who is entering his fourth season in Heupel's offense, knows the offensive scheme as well as any player that will take the field for the Volunteers. He's responsible for adjusting protections, communicating what he's seeing from the defense, and making checks for the offensive line. Mays' on-field ability to quickly diagnose what he's seeing is critical to Tennessee's offensive success. 

Suffice it to say, he's a player that Tennessee absolutely can't lose this season if they hope to make the playoff. 

With Mays entering his final season at Tennessee, the Vols need to start thinking about what life is going to be like without Mays in 2025. 

For now, the Vols don't have an obvious answer at center, but they need to figure out an answer...quickly. 

Otherwise, the center position could go from being a huge strength for the Vols to a massive weakness in 2025. And because of the way Josh Heupel's offense operates (tempo and wide splits), that's not a weakness Tennessee can afford to have in 2025 as they attempt to compete for a championship. 

Dayne Davis, who is entering his final season at Tennessee, will likely be Mays' primary backup in 2024 thanks to his experience in Heupel's system. 

Beyond Davis, redshirt freshman Vysen Lang and/or true freshman William Satterwhite are candidates to take over at center in 2025. But neither are there quite yet. And until they are, it's not wise to just assume that either will take the job and run with it. The development of those two players will be key for the Vols this fall. 

If Lang or Satterwhite both fail to secure the backup center role by the end of the season, it could be bad news for the Vols as it will likely mean that Tennessee will need to look to the transfer portal for a center. And that's probably the last thing Heupel wants to do because of the amount of learning a new center would have to do in one offseason to effectively play the position in Tennessee's offense. 

That's why identifying Tennessee's starting center in 2025 needs to start this fall. Otherwise, it could derail what could be a promising 2025 season in East Tennessee.