KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It’s Football Time in Tennessee as No. 20/18 Tennessee welcomes Furman to Rocky Top to open the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
The Volunteers will begin their 130th season of football when the ball kicks off on Saturday inside Neyland Stadium, preserved by Pilot, which will be sold out for the 28th consecutive game, a streak that dates back to Sept. 17, 2022.
GAMEDAY TIMELINE
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 11:30 a.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – 12 p.m.
Gates Open – 1 p.m.
Vol Walk – 1:05 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 1:50 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:18 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 3:21 p.m.
*T-38 Talons of the 90th Flying Training Squadron from Sheppard Air Force Base
Vols Run Through the T – 3:29 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:32 p.m.
IMPORTANT GAMEDAY INFO
To find the most up-to-date information on all of Tennessee’s 2026 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
Earlier this summer, University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced new traffic patterns for football gamedays at Neyland Stadium, which can be found in full detail by clicking HERE.
Fans attending major events at Neyland Stadium will notice improved traffic patterns beginning with this Saturday’s football season opener against Furman.
Tennessee Athletics has partnered with Visit Knoxville, the City of Knoxville, Knox County, TDOT, KPD, UTPD, campus leadership and engineering consultant Kimley-Horn to develop comprehensive gameday traffic solutions for fans attending events on Rocky Top.
Fans with designated parking passes are advised to enter campus via the recommended routes provided by Kimley-Horn Engineering and Design consultants: https://utsports.com/sports/2026/7/29/2026-football-parking
Fans without parking passes are recommended to avoid the campus corridor, stay in the downtown area or use the KAT shuttle options. Some drivers will be asked to go in the opposite direction of traditional daily traffic patterns – this is essential to help expedite traffic flow after major events.
For additional recommendations on how fans should leave campus, visit https://utsports.com/sports/2019/7/29/football-gameday#parking
Permitted Items for Saturday’s Game
With temperatures in the 90s expected, please review the information below in regards to what items will be permitted during Saturday’s game.
The University of Tennessee allows each fan to bring in one factory-sealed plastic water bottle.
- Reusable metal or insulated personal water bottles (like stainless steel tumblers, Yetis, etc) are not permitted through the security gates, so you’ll want to use your insulated Vols gear for tailgating outside the venue.
- We encourage you to utilize our free refillable water fountains/stations located throughout the stadium (to refill your original factory-sealed plastic water bottle).
Portable/handheld (battery operated) hand fans will also be permitted.
NEW SOUND SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS FOR 2026
A new, state-of-the-art sound system highlights the gameday enhancements that fans will experience this fall as they enjoy Tennessee football in Neyland Stadium. Also new this season is an extended Southeast Concourse 3, Champions Corner located outside of Gate 9, yellow line down and distance technology on the video boards as well as multiple concessions enhancements and new locations.
For more information on all updates in place at Neyland Stadium this season, click HERE.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics App, which contains all the latest information on UT athletics. It also houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more.
Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Honoring the Life of Dolly Parton: Tennessee will don a commemorative helmet sticker throughout the 2026 season to honor the unforgettable life and legacy of Dolly Parton. The Pride of the Southland Band will also close Saturday’s halftime show with a celebration of the life by playing some of Dolly’s trademark music.
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. This week’s featured artist is Aaron Walker. Vol Village opens at noon for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside the newly renovated Gate 9, fans are encouraged to visit the new and improved Truly’s area for food, drinks and more! Truly’s Tailgate has expanded with Texas Roadhouse and a number of other new food and beverage options for fans to enjoy before and during the game.
For any game starting later than noon ET, Truly’s will open four hours prior to kickoff. For Saturday’s game, the tailgate will open at 11:30 a.m. Truly’s will stay open throughout the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
BROADCAST INFO
TV/Streaming Info
Richard Cross (PxP), Max Starks (analyst) and Ashlyn Sullivan (sideline reporter) will have the call for Saturday’s season opener at 3:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
The online stream for Saturday’s game can be accessed through SEC Network+, which is complementary to SEC Network and accessible with your TV provider credentials. It can be accessed through the ESPN App on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or via espn.com/watch.
The game can also be found on ESPN+, a standalone streaming service that requires a subscription separate from your TV provider credentials. It is available to stream through the ESPN App on your connected streaming device and on ESPN.com.
Fans seeking more guidance on how to watch games on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ can contact ESPN customer care at 888-549-3776. Assistance is available online at support.espn.com.
Vol Network Radio Info
The Vol Network will launch its 78th season of Tennessee football coverage this Saturday.
Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Keith returns for his second season as the “Voice of the Vols”. His partner in the booth will be VFL Jayson Swain, who moves into to the color analyst position this year after five seasons with the Vol Network that included pregame, halftime, postgame and sideline duties.
Brent Hubbs, a 30-plus year Vol Network veteran, begins his second season as sideline reporter providing news, updates and expert commentary from the field of play. Former Vol All-American Bill Mayo joins the team this season for pregame and halftime analysis as well as postgame interviews with Tennessee players.
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast via the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 179 or 229) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 953). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.
The Big Orange Countdown pregame show, hosted by Swain and Hubbs, will begin two and a half hours prior to kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Tennessee’s official Spanish radio broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and J.P. Vasquez (analyst) on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Volunteer Gameday, a live, one-hour television preview show, will originate live from the newly developed Champions Corner outside of Gate 9 at Neyland Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. The show will be hosted by Keith, VFL Heath Shuler and WVLT-Knoxville’s Brittany Tarwater. Volunteer Gameday will be available on Knoxville flagship TV station WVLT and across the state on the new Tennessee Valley Sports Network (TVSN).
NEED TO KNOW
Faizon Brandon is QB1
The Vols will start a new quarterback for the fifth straight season as true freshman Faizon Brandon takes the reins after earning the job in preseason camp. Tennessee and Kentucky are the only SEC teams to start a new quarterback for five straight years (2022-26). The Big Orange started Hendon Hooker in 2022, Joe Milton III in 2023, Nico Iamaleava in 2024 and Joey Aguilar in 2025.
Brandon is the SEC’s only true freshman starting quarterback and the only one in the Power Four conferences in Week 1. The former five-star recruit out of Greensboro, North Carolina will also be the first true freshman quarterback to start for UT in a season opener since Brent Schaeffer did so against UNLV on Sept. 5, 2004.
Lidlifters
Tennessee owns a 97-26-6 on-field record all-time in season openers and a 96-26-6 NCAA record in openers (the 2020 opener was vacated by NCAA). Josh Heupel is 8-0 in season openers as a head coach, outscoring opponents 427-96. He’s 5-0 with the Vols, outscoring opponents 260-58. At UT, Heupel’s teams beat Bowling Green (38-6 in 2021), Ball State (59-10 in 2022), Virginia (49-13 in 2023), Chattanooga (69-3 in 2024) and Syracuse (45-26 in 2025). The Vols have won every season opener that has been played in Neyland Stadium under Heupel by at least 30 points.
Non-Conference Regular-Season Win Streak
Tennessee puts its non-conference regular season winning streak on the line Saturday. The Vols have won 18 non-SEC regular season games in a row dating back to a Sept. 18, 2021, a 56-0 victory over Tennessee Tech. UT’s last non-conference regular season loss was to Pitt on Sept. 11, 2021, in what was Heupel’s second game as head coach.
The Vols are 21-4 overall (.840) against non-SEC foes under Heupel, including 19-1 in the regular season. UT has outscored non-conference opponents 1,182-364 in the Heupel era and the .840 non-conference winning percentage during that span (since 2021) is tied for sixth in the FBS.
New Look Defense
Jim Knowles was officially named Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator on Dec. 11, 2025, and brings 38 years of college football experience to Rocky Top, including 18 seasons as a defensive coordinator. He has orchestrated four top 15 total defenses nationally over the last six seasons with three of those units finishing in the top four.
Three other coaches joined Knowles’ defensive staff over the offseason, including two from Penn State: co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Anthony Poindexter and LEOs (OLB) coach Andrew Jackson. Poindexter, a Class of 2020 College Football Hall of Famer as a player at Virginia, was the co-DC and safeties coach at Penn State from 2021-25. Jackson was at Penn State as assistant defensive line coach last season, and he was previously the defensive line coach at West Virginia from 2021-24. Derek Jones, who coached with Knowles at Duke, also joins the staff and will serve as UT’s cornerbacks coach. He was in the same role at Virginia Tech from 2022-25.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads series, 2-0
The Vols and Paladins have faced off just twice on the gridiron with Tennessee winning both meetings. UT defeated Furman 32-6 in 1941 before recording a 52-7 victory a year later in 1942. Both prior meetings took place in Knoxville.
ABOUT FURMAN
The Paladins are guided by head coach Clay Hendrix, who is now in his 10th season leading the program and boasts a career record of 61-43 after a season-opening 20-3 victory over Division II Anderson last Thursday. Furman was picked to finish sixth in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and boasts eight players who earned Preseason All-SoCon honors.
Graduate transfer quarterback Jake Garcia made his debut for the Paladins in last week’s win over Anderson, completing 15-of-28 passes for 183 yards with an interception while also rushing for 51 yards. Garcia had previously played for Miami, Missouri, East Carolina and Michigan before transferring to Furman. Running backs CJ Nettles (10 att, 99 yds) and Ben Croasdale (11 att, 67 yds, 2 TDs) led a productive ground game for the Paladins that racked up 268 yards in their opener.
On the other side of the ball, Furman is led by SoCon Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and 2025 FCS All-American defensive lineman Joshua Stoneking. A three-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Week last season, Stoneking completed his 2025 campaign leading the nation in sacks (14.5) and tackles for loss (23.0). The senior standout made two tackles, including a TFL, and added a quarterback hurry in Furman’s season-opening win.
