This past Saturday, Oklahoma went on the road and defeated Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. While the Tide have proven to have one of the better teams in the country this year, the stadium atmosphere still apparently pales in comparison to what Tennessee football has at Neyland Stadium.
On the ABC broadcast, sideline reporter Molly McGrath shared a story from Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer. He said that the game at UT was the loudest he’s played in, and his offensive line didn’t think Alabama’s atmosphere was as loud.
“Sooners quarterback John Mateer told us the game at Tennessee was the loudest atmosphere he’s ever played in,” McGrath said. “After their last drive, he came off the field and went straight to his offensive line, is down here by the student section worse than Tennessee? And they shook their heads and said no.”
Play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough chimed in with what Mateer told him, as well.
“He said at the start of the game last week at Tennessee, he was screaming in the huddle and he told his teammates, I’m not freaking out, it’s just so loud, I have to yell this loud,” McDonough said.
Neyland Effect is unique. Great note from @MollyAMcGrath on the noise of Neyland Stadium by Vol Nation. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/EB6Y86xIv2
— Bill Martin (@Bill_Martin) November 16, 2025
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Despite the environment for the game against Oklahoma, Tennessee came up short by the score of 33-27. This marked the first loss at home for the Vols to anyone besides Georgia since Josh Heupel’s first year coaching the program.
Since the start of the 2022 season, UT is 24-3 inside Neyland Stadium. This includes the 42-9 win over New Mexico State from Saturday evening.
The stadium currently holds a capacity of 101,915 following recent renovations. However, athletic director Danny White has said he’s looking to see if it will be possible to add more seats and expand the stadium.
If the Vols are looking to claim the largest stadium by capacity in the country, they’ll have to top Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines boast a 107,601 capacity mark to lead the nation. Second place is Penn State’s Beaver Stadium at 106,572, followed by Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium at 102,780. Then, it’s a pair of SEC foes ahead of UT. Texas A&M is in fourth with Kyle Field holding a capacity of 102,733. Then, it’s LSU’s Tiger Stadium at 102,321.
