Tennessee football opens up the 2025 season’s home slate this Saturday when hosting ETSU. The Vols will meet the Buccaneers at 3:30 p.m. ET with the game airing on SECN+/ESPN+.

For fans going in person, they may notice some changes to particularly the south end zone. On Thursday afternoon, I got the chance to see it in person. Here’s what you need to know about what is different and some photos of the changes.

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Gate 9 Entrance

You may have a much easier time entering Neyland Stadium this year. Gate 9 has been expanded by about three times, making it a key entry point at the stadium. This will make it much easier for fans who are seated in the southwest portion of the stadium. Even fans seated in the east may have an easier time using this entry point.

For fans on the second and third levels, Gate 10 is still accessible and likely the best option to get to your seats.

South End Zone Concourse

Just around the corner from the Gate 9 entrance, you’ll see another significant expansion. The concourse behind the south end zone has been about tripled in size, as well. If you look at the picture above, the inner dark portion of the middle strip was where the old concourse ended.

This removed the tucked-in concession stands along the field-side of the concourse. New concessions are placed along the concourse with additional options. Restrooms in this portion are also expanded, in some cases, from about 15 stalls to up to 50.

There will be a ‘Vintage Vol Shop’ pop-up shop in Section M for fans to purchase gear, as well.

Concessions

Throughout the stadium, there will be some additional concession options. Prices will not change this season from what they were a year ago.

Pictured is the ‘Good Ol’ Chicken Shack’ in the south end zone concourse. At this stand, there is a ‘Knoxville Hot’ sauce that I sampled and can confirm was very good.

There is also, for the first time ever, a dedicated ice cream shop inside Neyland Stadium. Other options include ‘General’s Grill’ and a mac-n-cheese shop.

Other changes

You may notice some additional LED signage throughout Neyland Stadium this year. These signs will act alongside other LED lights in the stadium to increase the optics of the light shows that take place during night games in particular. You will primarily see the additions on the north and east side of the stadium this year.

On maps throughout the stadium, you will also see a QR code that you can scan for more information. This will give you a more detailed view of what is in your area.

Phillip Fulmer Way will also be closed to vehicle traffic. You may notice metal detectors are pushed out from the ticket scanners, as well.

What Was Said

Speakers:

• Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Longworth
• Senior Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Strategy Officer Cameron Walker

On the size of the renovation

Longworth: “I think over the last three years that we’ve gone through this renovation project, just making it more comfortable for our fans to get in and out of the stadium, to move around the stadium, to enjoy their game day. We sell out Neyland regularly. We’re about to have our 21st-straight sellout. So getting 100,000 people through this stadium, sometimes easier said than done. But now with this concourse and the size of it, it’s just going to make for such a more enjoyable day for our fans.”

On the new LED videoboards around the stadium

Longworth: “I think Danny (White) said it since he got here, we’re going to honor our past, but we’re going to modernize. And every way that we can push forward to make the experience even more memorable for a five-year-old and a 95-year-old is what we want to do. Every place that we can put a ribbon board, every place that we can make it an even better experience, we’re going to look at doing that and try to find the best solutions that we can.”

On eating options for fans

Walker: “I think there’s a lot more options. There’s, I think, 11 more concessions on this end. The options are more – we have more variety than ever. With really great options, I’m not partial, but I have sampled, and they are fantastic. Just continues to feed back to the fan experience. Neyland is iconic, we’ve got to make this the best experience possible for the best fanbase in college sports and that’s what we’re trying to do. And concessions is obviously part of that. There will be a lot of other options. Hot days, there will be water monsters out here for people to fill up water bottles and things of that nature. So, trying to make the experience overall more comfortable and better for everyone.”

On TVs in the concourse

Walker: “Obviously, being able to see the game is paramount to everyone’s experience at Neyland. So even if you need to run out and grab something at the new mac-n-cheese or the new ice cream, you’re able to still see what’s going on with the game and I think that’s a key component at today’s modern stadiums.”

On what they’re most proud about with the renovations

Walker: “It’s really a three-year project, right? So it’s continuing making the experience better every year for the fans. Whether it’s WiFi, or now more concessions, or restrooms. Making the experience more enjoyable for them. They’re what feed the energy in this building. They’re what make it such a unique homefield advantage. I think being able to provide them with a better experience is really cool. I can’t wait, honestly, to see people’s faces as they come in and realize that you were in this much space and it’s tripled and you can actually see outside and fresh air is blowing through. It really is going to make such a difference and I think that’s really cool.”

On the new Gate 9, who should use it

Longworth: “Gate 9 is on the southwest corner and it feeds right into Level 1. So anybody that is sitting on the south end zone, anybody that is sitting on the southwest portion or even the west concourse, I would come in Gate 9. Everything on the west concourse from 21 to 9, all those gates are very small. You can’t get any more people through them than what they are because the size of it is so small. I definitely would recommend that.

“Gate 10 is still there. So if you’re on the second level or the third level, go up Gate 10, that is the easiest way to get there. If you’re on the south end, that southwest corner, or I’d even say the east side, it is easy to come in Gate 9 and get over there. Again, you’ve got a concourse that is three times wider than it was before.”

On what they think the fans’ reaction will be

Longworth: “Down here, I definitely think for anybody that sat in this space for any amount of time, it was so cramped. From the trash cans that were here, the restrooms lines, the concessions lines, just anybody trying to get east or west, it was really difficult to do. So, if you’ve sat down here, you’re just going to notice, ‘Oh, I can walk so much more freely. It’s easier for me to get around. Oh, I can go in the restroom and now there is 50 stalls.’ I just think the experience is going to be so much more comfortable for our fans.”

On how much bigger the restrooms are

Longworth: “So the restrooms on this end, probably at most had 20 stalls in them. Most of them probably were in the 15-16 range. If you get to 30-50, because they vary in size, 2.5 times (bigger).”

Walker: “And way more.”

On closing Phillip Fulmer Way, moving the metal detectors away from the gates

Longworth: “Two-part, our campus partners asked us for security reasons to close Phillip Fulmer. Which we completely support, we completely understand why we need to do that. Not having pedestrian traffic plus the vehicle traffic going back and forth when you’re trying to get 100,000 people into the stadium, we all get those safety reasons. So I think not having those problems was step one.

“And then step two, being able to move those metal detectors out. The farther the metal detectors are away from the ticketing scan point, just the more ease of entry that you have. The Super Bowl, the biggest events in the country, they are doing this and they’ve been doing this for years. So, this is not a brand new concept that we said, ‘Hey, let’s try this in Knoxville, Tennessee.’ We’ve studied the biggest and best sporting events in the world and we’re trying to meet our fans there and give them the same experience you would get at some of those events.”

On the pricing of concessions

Longworth: “No price increases. You just have more options. You have more stands. No price increases this year and we’re just really excited for everybody to try it out.”