Tennessee’s future football calendar got a little clearer on Friday, and the newest piece is a familiar kind of scheduling move: a home game against a Group of Five opponent with a guarantee attached.
The Vols have added Central Michigan to the 2028 slate, with the Chippewas set to visit Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2028. Tennessee will pay Central Michigan $1.3 million for the trip, and it will be the first football meeting between the schools.
That addition leaves Tennessee with just one open non-conference spot in 2028, and that final opening is expected to be a buy game.
The schedule update also helps fill out a Tennessee future that already stretches through 2030. The Vols are booked to play at Washington in 2030 to complete that home-and-home series, while the SEC schedule is currently set through 2029 under the league’s move to nine conference games. The conference plans to take another look at the format after four seasons.
Tennessee’s annual SEC opponents remain Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The rest of the league is slotted for home-and-home series, though it’s not yet clear whether those permanent rivals will still be in place after 2029 or if the schedule will be reshaped.
Here is the full look at Tennessee football’s officially scheduled games through 2030:
2026
Home: Furman, Kennesaw State, Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Texas
Away: Georgia Tech, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
2027
Home: Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Western Michigan, Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
Away: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma
2028
Home: Central Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M
Away: Auburn, LSU, Texas, Vanderbilt
Neutral: West Virginia (Charlotte)
2029
Home: Washington, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt
Away: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
2030
Away: Washington
In Other News...
Former Vols Returning To Barnes Gym Says Everything About Tennessee Culture
Five former Tennessee basketball players were back in Knoxville for the Vols final summer practice session, giving the program a familiar jolt inside Barnes Gym. Zakai Zeigler, Jordan Gainey, JaKobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara and Amaree Abram all took part in scrimmages against the current team, a return trip that brought together different eras of the roster while also giving the younger players a close look at what successful Tennessee basketball has looked like up close.
The setting mattered almost as much as the workout itself, especially with Gillespie, Okpara and Zeigler coming off NBA Summer League runs and still making time to be around the program. Terrence Hill Jr. and Dalton Knecht both pointed to the impact of those return visits, and it was another reminder of how tightly connected Rick Barnes group has stayed even after players move on, with the old guard still willing to show up and help set the tone for the next wave. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Could Turn One Massive Recruiting Flip Into Something Even Bigger
Tennessees pursuit of David DJ Jacobs has become one of the more intriguing recruiting storylines on its radar, and not just because the five-star EDGE rusher is already pledged to Ohio State. The Volunteers are viewed as a serious threat to flip him, and the appeal goes beyond a single elite defender, with Tennessee building a case around relationships, fit and the kind of long-term momentum that can change a class.
The bigger twist is that the Jacobs name may not stop with the 2027 cycle. Tennessee is also showing growing interest in Dawson Jacobs, DJs younger brother and a four-star defensive lineman in the 2028 class, which opens the door to a rare back-to-back family chase. Between the programs Adidas NIL partnership and the defensive line coachs previous relationship with the brothers father, Tennessee has some real connective tissue here, and if it can land one Jacobs, the chance to pair that with the other would make the whole effort look even more significant. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Got A Huge Edge With Top 2028 Receiver Target
David Thomas move from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Knoxville Catholic gives Tennessee an unusually close look at one of the more intriguing names in the 2028 receiver class. The four-star prospect already has a growing offer list that includes Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, and his ranking as the No. 43 wide receiver in the class has put him firmly on the radar of programs looking ahead.
For the Vols, the timing matters as much as the talent. Tennessee has no commitments yet in the 2028 class, but it is clearly working to build early relationships, and having a target like Thomas in Knoxville only strengthens that effort. Being able to evaluate him up close, around a familiar setting, could give the staff a better read as the recruitment develops. [Read more 🡒]