During a coaching transition, it’s natural that a program will experience decommitments from recruits. But in the case of Tennessee, there appeared to be one high profile recruit who drew more attention than others.

Given his family background, Knoxville, Tenn. native and Tennessee legacy Cade Mays could have been the target of a comment from Tennessee assistant Brian Niedermeyer, after Mays announced he would play for Georgia.

“Let it be known even if you say you LOVE the Vols if you ain’t with us you’re against us period,” Niedermeyer tweeted.

The comment appeared to be a rallying cry for some in the Tennessee fan base, which has been splintered in recent weeks given the prolonged coaching search after the dismal season.

Mays, who decommitted from Tennessee before Butch Jones was fired, is a 6-foot-6, 318-pounder who is the top prospect from the state of Tennessee and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is a U.S. Army All-American candidate for 2018 and plans to enroll early.

https://twitter.com/NiedermeyerB/status/943598093748064256

https://twitter.com/CadeMays68/status/943571241599946754