KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Vol fans: Get ready to dust off your orange and white gear when the Gators come to town on Oct. 12. It's going to be a checkered Saturday!
Tennessee Football announced the Florida game will be a Checker Neyland game. UT said this will be the eighth Checker Neyland in program history. Vol fans will be asked to wear either orange or white colors depending on their seating to create a checkered pattern across the stadium.
The week of the Florida game is always a big one in Knoxville. The two teams have a bitter rivalry, so Vol fans hold "Gator Hater Week" each year in East Tennessee.
UT also announced a few other special home game events this year. Tennessee will hold its third annual Champions Weekend on Nov. 2 when it plays Kentucky. The weekend highlights teams and stars who won SEC and NCAA championships on certain years and invites them back to Rocky Top.
UT said it will recognize the 2024 Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame Class that weekend. The 2024 class includes Tennessee star players over the years such as softball player Sarah Fekete-Bailey from Blount County, Lady Vols basketball player Sheila Frost, football player John Henderson, track and field coach Stan Huntsman, and volleyball player Julie Knytych. The inductees also included people who've contributed to the athletics program, including Pilot founder Jim Haslam, and Ann Baker Furrow, the first and only woman to compete on a men's varsity team at Tennessee.
The homecoming game will kick off on Nov. 9 when the Vols take on Mississippi State. UT said this will be just the second time in 15 years that the Bulldogs have visited Knoxville.
Then on Nov. 23 when the University of Texas at El Paso visits Knoxville, UT will hold its annual Salute to Service game to honor military members, veterans and their families. That game will also be Senior Day to honor players in the senior class.
