Knoxville Catholic five-star offensive tackle Cade Mays had been committed to Tennessee for more than two years when he decided in early November to reopen his recruitment. Never mind the fact that he's a Volunteer legacy, the uncertainty surrounding then-head coach Butch Jones' future forced him to ponder his future.
Three weeks later, it appears he's moving on without Tennessee entirely, as he named Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State as his Top 3 late Thursday night.
Top 3 pic.twitter.com/u70pFZqUK8
— Cade Mays (@CadeMays68) December 1, 2017
The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Mays is considered the second-best offensive tackle and No. 16 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, and was recently named the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football winner for Division I Class 5A. He is the son of former Tennessee offensive lineman Kevin Mays, who was a captain for the Volunteers in 1994.
Mays has been on official visits to Clemson and Ohio State — for the Buckeyes' 48-3 win over Michigan State — and will travel to Notre Dame and Georgia on the weekends of Dec. 9 and 16, respectively. He's reportedly set to make his college decision ahead of the Early Signing Period, though there's the belief he may delay an announcement until the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 6.
Ohio State hopes to bring on at least two more offensive tackles in the current cycle to play alongside four-star pledge Max Wray, with Fairfield five-star Jackson Carman the staff's top priority. But while landing a player of Mays' caliber would be preferable, it's difficult to envision him leaving the south.
