Tennessee football will once again Checker Neyland this season continuing a constant tradition during the Josh Heupel era. The Vols will checker Neyland Stadium for their SEC home opener against Georgia on Sept. 13.
It’s not the only extracurricular around the annual rivalry matchup. Tennessee will also honor former defensive tackle John Henderson that weekend for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
It marks the fifth straight season that Tennessee has done a Checker Neyland game with the Vols checkering the stadium every season under head coach Josh Heupel. Tennessee’s matchup against Georgia will be the eighth ever Checker Neyland game with previous games coming from 2014-2017 under former head coach Butch Jones.
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Tennessee is 4-4 all-time in Checker Neyland games but has won three of the four games during Heupel’s tenure as head coach including its win over Florida last season. The Vols defeated Texas A&M in a Checker Neyland game in 2023, defeated Florida in 2022 and lost to Ole Miss in 2021.
The Vols have faced Georgia just once previously in a Checker Neyland game when Georgia dominated Tennessee 41-0 in 2017. That matchup indicated how near the end was for Butch Jones in Knoxville and Georgia’s ascension as one of the SEC’s top teams under Kirby Smart.
Tennessee announced a number of designations for games this fall on Wednesday. The Vols matchup against Arkansas on Oct. 11 marks the 2025 Champions Weekend with Tennessee honoring past SEC and National Championship teams. The Nov. 15 matchup against New Mexico State will be a homecoming matchup and the Salute to Service game. Tennessee’s regular season finale against Vanderbilt marks the 2025 Senior Day.
*This story will be updated shortly