Tennessee will stick with a familiar look when Kennesaw State visits Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
The Vols announced they’ll wear white helmets, orange jerseys and white pants - the standard home combination that has already shown up once this season. Tennessee opened the year in that same setup against Furman before switching to all white the next week at Georgia Tech.
So far, the orange britches still haven’t made an appearance in the new adidas era. Tennessee does have the option to use them whenever it wants, but for now the classic home threads remain the choice.
Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET in Knoxville, and the game will be carried on SEC Network. Tennessee enters as a 35.5-point favorite at most sportsbooks, but Josh Heupel isn’t interested in treating this one like a formality.
“It’s not a tune-up,” Heupel said. “You better show up every Saturday. You look at the scores, media, your family, your girlfriend, whoever, they might wanna pigeonhole you as this, but you decide who you are collectively as a team and as a program.”
This game also sits right before the start of Tennessee’s SEC schedule. The conference slate begins at home against No.
1 Texas, with the Vols planning to make that one a ‘Checker Neyland’ game. That usually means the same orange jersey and white pants look, though Tennessee could always change things up.
A week after Texas, the Vols are set to debut their new adidas Smokey Grey uniform against Auburn.
In Other News...
Tennessee's Loaded Offense Could Have One More Freshman Problem Soon
Tennessees offense already has the look of a unit built to stay dangerous for a while, but ESPN thinks the Vols may not be done adding playmakers to the picture. The latest name to watch is five-star running back recruit David Gabriel-Georges, who checks in at No. 13 overall in the SC Next ESPN 300 and arrives with the kind of power, balance and explosiveness that can make a freshman hard to keep off the field.
For Tennessee, the appeal goes beyond simply landing another elite recruit. Gabriel-Georges has the traits to contribute early and eventually grow into a featured role, which matters for an offense that could be looking ahead to a post-2026 backfield if DeSean Bishop moves on to the NFL. Even in a loaded room, the Vols have a chance to turn a highly rated newcomer into the next major piece of the attack. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee-Texas Just Added More Intrigue For Frustrated Vols Fans
Kenny Chesney helped put Tennessees Sept. 26 matchup with Texas back in the spotlight during an appearance on ESPNs First Take, where the Knoxville native was on hand to promote his new tour and ended up talking football instead. The Volunteers are set to host the Longhorns at Neyland Stadium in the annual Checker Neyland game, with ABC carrying the broadcast and a Noon ET kickoff currently on the books.
For fans already frustrated by the timing, the attention only added another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight on the schedule. Stephen A. Smith raised the possibility the kickoff could still be changed, leaving Tennessee supporters with one more wrinkle to monitor as the date draws closer and the buildup to one of the seasons biggest home games keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Have One Reason To Expect A Stress-Free Saturday
Knox News took a different route in previewing Tennessees upcoming game against Kennesaw State, running 100 simulations of the matchup on EA Sports College Football 27. The results pointed to what Vols fans probably hope to see on a fall Saturday: Tennessee controlling the game early and often, with the model projecting an average score around 51-17 and plenty of room for the offense to settle in.
The simulations leaned heavily toward a comfortable finish for Tennessee, which fits the broader sense that this is a game the Vols should handle without much drama. There were statistical trends worth watching in the breakdown, along with reporter notes on how the matchup could play out, but the larger takeaway was hard to miss: if the real game follows the video-game script, Tennessee should spend most of the afternoon in command. [Read more 🡒]