The University of Tennessee football team has locked in the kick-off times for its first three highly anticipated games of the 2025 season, and Volunteer fans can start marking their calendars. According to WATE, the season will open with the Volunteers taking on Syracuse on August 30 at noon in the Aflac Kickoff Game, set to air on 6 News. The event is happening at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, giving the teams an energetic stage to start their campaigns.
Following the opener, Tennessee will return home to Neyland Stadium to play against ETSU on September 6, at 3:30 p.m. airing on ESPN+, the match will mark the team's home debut for the season and, as reported by WBIR, the game will also be shown on SEC Network fulfilling fans' cravings for college football action meanwhile running high off the initial excitement.
The third game, which will serve as the SEC opener for both teams, will see Tennessee face Georgia on September 13 at 3:30 p.m., a match that Knox News notes will be significant as it will be the earliest meeting between the two since September 1995—this encounter will be broadcast on ABC, adding to the prestige of the early season showdowns.
Further details on the quarterback position remain a source of speculation after Nico Iamaleava's transfer to UCLA post-spring game absences with contenders for the spot being redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and fresh-entrant George MacIntyre both of whom bring their own skill sets and potential solutions to the table, WATE outlines the building anticipation and the questions still looming over the Volunteers' offense strategy.
Details on the subsequent games of the season will be unveiled later in the summer, hinting at more strategic matchups and game-day builds, according to University of Tennessee Athletics as outlined by WBIR. For fans eager to plan their tailgates and game-day rituals, these early announcements provide just enough to stoke the embers of excitement for the roaring season ahead.
