KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football seniors Cooper Mays and Jacob Warren each garnered preseason recognition Friday afternoon after being named to watch lists for a pair of national awards. Mays was selected to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, while Warren was tabbed to the Mackey Award Watch List.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I college football. The Mackey Award goes to the nation’s most outstanding tight end.

A preseason All-SEC selection by multiple outlets, Mays enters his third straight season as UT’s starting center and has started 19 consecutive games entering the 2023 campaign. The Knoxville native is one of six SEC centers tabbed to the watch list by the Trophy committee, which used play-by-play data from Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow its list to the top 40 centers in the nation.

Last fall, Mays anchored the Volunteer offensive line that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award for the first time in school history and paved the way for the nation’s No. 1 offense in terms of scoring (46.1 points per game) and total offense (525.5 yards per game). He started all 13 games, saw action on 894 snaps and did not allow a sack in the final five games of the year.

Warren collects Mackey Award Watch List recognition for the second straight season and is primed for a strong campaign in 2023, his sixth year with the program. The Tennessee graduate is one of 48 tight ends in the country and one of 10 from the SEC selected by the award committee.

A legacy Vol and member of UT’s leadership council, Warren has appeared in 41 games and made 20 starts during his career. He enters his third straight year as the starter at tight end and owns 37 career catches for 416 yards and four touchdowns.

This offseason, Warren has also received a plethora of honors for his efforts off the field. He was named to the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, nominated for the 2023 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and selected as a member of the 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.

2023 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors

Sr. DE Tyler Baron
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)

Sr. LB Aaron Beasley
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon)

Sr. OL Cooper Mays
Rimington Trophy Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Media)
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)

Sr. WR Bru McCoy
All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Media, Phil Steele)

Sr. QB Joe Milton III
Maxwell Award Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Media, Phil Steele)

Sr. OL Javontez Spraggins
All-SEC Third Team (Media)

R-Sr. TE Jacob Warren
Mackey Award Watch List
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee

So. WR Squirrel White
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)

Sr. RS Dee Williams
All-American Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)

Jr. RB Jaylen Wright
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)