Cade Mays has chance to play early for Georgia Bulldogs, Sam Pittman says

ATLANTA – The improvement of Sam Pittman's offensive line is one reason Georgia finds itself set to face Alabama in Monday's national championship game.

"Everybody took it as motivation," Pittman said of Georgia's lackluster performance up front in 2016.

While Pittman is pleased with the line's performance this season, he's also excited about a fresh face the Bulldogs added on Dec. 20, when Knoxville Catholic five-star lineman Cade Mays signed with Georgia.

"We think he's really talented and think he'll be a bright spot to our future on our line," Pittman said Saturday during media day for the national championship

The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Mays enrolled early, meaning he'll participate in spring practice.

"He's got good feet, really good hands, was well-coached in high school, and he's smart," Pittman said. "All those intangibles give you an opportunity to play early in your career. But the thing that stuck on him mostly is his aggressiveness on tape."

The Bulldogs stole Mays from Tennessee's backyard.

Mays' father, Kevin, played offensive line at Tennessee, serving as a captain his senior year in 1994.

Cade Mays committed to the Vols in the summer before his sophomore season, but he decommitted on Nov. 7. At the time, the Vols were laboring through a 4-8 season and coach Butch Jones was on the hot seat. Jones was fired on Nov. 12, and Mays visited Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia, naming that trio his finalists before choosing the Bulldogs.

"We didn't really have a lot of conversation with him early. He was committed to the University of Tennessee, and we respected that decision," Pittman said. "Once we found out (in the fall that he was interested in reopening his recruitment), then we called him and had a good conversation.

"We quickly tried to set up the visit. We wanted the last visit, and that seemed to work out."

Pittman was Tennessee's O-line coach in 2012, when the Vols allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC. He said he didn't know Mays at that time.

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Pittman has coached Georgia's offensive line the past two seasons after three years at Arkansas.

The Bulldogs ranked 50th nationally in rushing yards per game last season but improved to eighth in the nation this year. Additionally, Georgia went from allowing 24 sacks in 13 games in 2016 to surrendering 18 sacks in 14 games this year.

They'll face their biggest challenge of the season Monday. Alabama leads the nation in rushing defense and has 36 sacks.

"We've played against really good fronts before," Pittman said. "Alabama is special. We know that, but this is more about us than it is about them."