Just a few weeks after the conclusion of the 2016 season, Tennessee is already looking ahead to spring practice.
The dates for those individual practice sessions won’t come out until a bit later, but Tennessee did confirm on Thursday that its annual Orange and White Spring Game will be held on April 22 at 4 pm ET at Neyland Stadium.
All admission and parking will be free.
Four of the five largest crowds in Orange and White Game history have come since Butch Jones arrived at Tennessee prior to the 2013 season. Only the 1986 spring game, which drew an announced crowd of 73,801, had more fans than the last four under Jones’ watch. In total, an average of 64,917 fans have attended the last four games with Jones’ high mark coming in 2014 with 68,548 fans showing up that year after the Vols signed a highly-acclaimed recruiting class with several notable early enrollees.
It will be intriguing to see what the 2017 version looks like in terms of attendance. Tennessee is coming off a disappointing 2016 campaign, and expectations aren’t as high heading into next season. There will, however, be a true quarterback battle for the first time in a few years, and it will be the first opportunity for Tennessee fans to see redshirt freshman QB Jarrett Guarantano perform in Neyland Stadium.
Guarantano is expected to battle primarily with junior quarterback Quinten Dormady for the starting nod, though redshirt sophomore Sheriron Jones and freshman Will McBride also hope to factor into the conversation.
Offensive lineman Trey Smith, the No. 1 player in the nation according to ESPN.com, will also make his debut in Neyland after enrolling early in January.
