Tennessee football’s 2024 schedule is complete: See the full list of opponents, dates
Tennessee finally has its full 2024 football schedule.
The SEC had released portions of the schedule. Others had leaked been in media reports. And Peyton and Eli Manning even mentioned a couple of games during their "ManningCast" on "Monday Night Football."
But now it’s official. Here is Tennessee’s 2024 schedule, which was revealed on ESPN and SEC Network on Wednesday.
WHICH VOLS ARE RETURNING IN 2024? Here's the COVID senior tracker
Aug. 31: Chattanooga
Five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava has played a few snaps this past season. But he’ll be the starter in 2024, and the Chattanooga game will serve as his QB1 debut. The Mocs, who went to the FCS playoff this season, lost to UT 45-0 in 2019.
Sept. 7: North Carolina State (in Charlotte)
This will be the first big test for Iamaleava and the retooled UT offense. It’ll be a neutral site game in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte. NC State is 9-3 and playing Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Notably, Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall is transferring to the Wolfpack. He was a three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year and passed for 10,000 yards and 106 TDs in four seasons. It’ll be quite a quarterback matchup between Iamaleava and McCall.
Sept. 14: Kent State
Back to Neyland Stadium for another nonconference tune-up before SEC play begins. Kent State went 1-11 this season under first-year coach Kenni Burns. UT has never played Kent State.
Sept. 21: At Oklahoma
Of course, Oklahoma’s first conference game in the SEC would be against Josh Heupel, who led the Sooners to the 2000 national title as a Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback.
But Oklahoma fired Heupel as offensive coordinator after he coached there for 10 seasons. So this could be a complicated homecoming.
UT has played Oklahoma only four times. The Vols won in the Orange Bowl to cap an undefeated 1938 season. The Sooners won the Orange Bowl to cap the 1967 season, and they beat UT in Norman in 2014 and in Knoxville in 2015.
Oct. 5: At Arkansas
This road trip comes after an open week.
Sam Pittman could lead a Razorbacks resurgence with Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator, or be a lame-duck coach on his way to being fired. Either way, this game could affect that outcome.
The Vols have dropped three straight against Arkansas, most recently in 2020, when they lost 24-13 in Fayetteville.
Oct. 12: Florida
UT has lost 17 of the previous 19 games in the series. Josh Dobbs (2016) and Hendon Hooker (2021) are the only quarterbacks to beat the Gators during that stretch, and those wins came in Knoxville. Fortunately for the Vols, this one will be in Neyland Stadium.
UT and Florida have played every season since 1990. They might not play in 2025 as the SEC schedule adjusts to 16 member schools.
Oct. 19: Alabama
This rivalry game is still played on the third Saturday in October.
Whether that continues beyond 2024 depends on if the SEC goes with an eight-game or nine-game conference schedule. The Vols have played Alabama every season since a one-year break in 1943 because of World War II.
UT has lost 16 of the past 17 games in the series. Alabama could be the defending national champion, and quarterback Jalen Milroe could be a Heisman front-runner.
Nov. 2: Kentucky
UT’s long-standing rivalry with Kentucky includes 119 meetings since 1893. They have played every season after 1943, which was not held also because of World War II. That could change as the SEC adjusts the schedule.
Kentucky will have a third transfer quarterback in three years, with Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff following Devin Leary (2023) and Will Levis (2021-22).
Nov. 9: Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby will be the only first-year coach on UT’s schedule. He has known Heupel for more than 20 years, going back to their time together on Oklahoma’s staff. And Lebby coached under Heupel at UCF.
His offense is similar to Heupel's. And he’ll try to ignite Mississippi State’s offense like Heupel did at UT. This will be the Vols’ first meeting with Mississippi State since 2019.
Nov. 16: At Georgia
Georgia won’t be a three-time defending national champion. That’s for certain.
But the Bulldogs still will be loaded with talent and a prime contender. Quarterback Carson Beck hasn’t announced whether he will return in 2024 or enter the NFL draft. Vandagriff is already headed to Kentucky, so Georgia’s quarterback spot could be in flux.
Kirby Smart lost to UT in Athens in his 2016 debut season. But he has won seven straight over the Vols since then.
Nov. 23: UTEP
This should be a well-timed nonconference game after a difficult SEC gauntlet.
UTEP went 3-9 this season in Conference USA. And UT outscored the Miners 106-16 in their three games in the series.
Nov. 30: At Vanderbilt
This appears to be UT’s only series guaranteed to survive as an annual game in either the eight-game or nine-game SEC league schedule beyond 2024.
The last season they didn’t play was 1944 because of World War II. The Vols have won five straight over the Commodores by double-digit margins.
Tennessee 2024 football schedule
Aug. 31: Chattanooga
Sept. 7: North Carolina State (in Charlotte)
Sept. 14: Kent State
Sept. 21: at Oklahoma
Sept. 28: OPEN
Oct. 5: at Arkansas
Oct. 12: Florida
Oct. 19: Alabama
Oct. 26: OPEN
Nov. 2: Kentucky
Nov. 9: Mississippi State
Nov. 16: at Georgia
Nov. 23: UTEP
Nov. 30: at Vanderbilt
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football schedule 2024 released: Full list of opponents, dates
