The Tennessee Athletics department announced Thursday that the team would be participating in the 2025 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game. Tennessee will be taking on Syracuse in a non-conference matchup on Aug. 30, 2025.
The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Either ABC or ESPN will broadcast the game on that date.
There has been no kickoff time specified yet.
“The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is one of the premier events in all of college football,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said in the UT press release. “Opening a season in Atlanta in a venue of this caliber against an excellent opponent will generate tremendous excitement within our program and among our players. We look forward to a massive turnout from Vol Nation in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2025.”
Danny White, Tennessee’s Director of Athletics and Vice-Chancellor, also commented on the upcoming game.
“I’m very excited to see a whole lot of orange in Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” Athletic Director White said in the press release. “I cannot wait for Tennessee fans to take over Atlanta for the weekend and support the Vols against a quality opponent in a venue we hope to frequent as Josh and his staff work to restore our program. I am also looking forward to working with Gary Stokan and his staff for this exciting event.”
Tennessee last played in the Chick-Fil-A kickoff game in 2017.
The Vols won a double-overtime thriller in Atlanta, as they defeated Georgia Tech 42-41. Quarterback Quentin Dormady threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, John Kelly led the team in rushing with 128 yards and four touchdowns.
Tennessee is 2-0 in the Chick-Fil-A kickoff game, with the first victory dated back to 2012.
The Tennessee Volunteers, led by Tyler Bray and Cordarelle Patterson, defeated NC State. The Vols won by a score of 35-21, as Rajion Neal’s third-quarter touchdown eventually sealed the victory for Tennessee.
Furthermore, Syracuse and Tennessee have matched up on the gridiron three times in the past. Tennessee has won all three meetings, but the two teams have not squared off since 2001.
Most recently, Tennessee defeated Syracuse by a score of 33-9. At the time, the Vols were the No. 8 ranked team in the country.
Tennessee will take on Syracuse in the 2025 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game. Either ABC or ESPN will broadcast the event at a time later specified.
2 Responses
Go VOLS!!!!!?✌️
Tennessee playing in the Chick-Fil-A bowl is great and Heupel is excited but if he doesn’t do well he probably won’t still be around as Tennessee’s coach.