Tennessee football fans attending games at Neyland Stadium this season will find a number of changes aimed at improving both security and convenience, according to an announcement from the University of Tennessee in partnership with Pilot. The first home game is scheduled for September 6.
Neyland Stadium will now operate as a cashless venue for the 2025-26 athletic year. Parking passes have also adopted mobile technology similar to digital tickets, featuring a moving barcode instead of a QR code. University officials caution that screenshots of parking passes are not valid for entry.
Several road closures are scheduled on game days, including Peyton Manning Pass and Phillip Fulmer Way between Cumberland Avenue and Loudon Boulevard starting at 5 a.m. Only vehicles with permits for Lot 9/9B and Middle Drive will be allowed onto Phillip Fulmer Way from Cumberland Avenue. Approved and commercial vehicles may access Phillip Fulmer Way from Lake Loudoun Boulevard.
Shuttle drop-off locations have changed; Circle Park is no longer used, with drop-offs now taking place on Volunteer Boulevard at the Stokely Garage bus-cutouts. Ride shares before and after games will pick up and drop off at “The Hill.” Knoxville Area Transit shuttles from the Civic Coliseum and Market Square remain available for all games, along with an Old City Shuttle on Southeastern Conference game days.
Inside Neyland Stadium, upgrades include installation of RockyTopWiFi, new chair back seating in the bowl area with reduced recline to improve fan comfort, updated graphics in premium lobbies, expanded concessions—such as buffalo chicken mac and cheese and rotating chef specials—and modernized restrooms in the South End Zone. The southwest plaza has been expanded, Entry Gate 9 has doubled in size to ease congestion, there is a new UT Medical first aid station, wider concourses on the south end, larger restrooms, a new elevator servicing three levels behind section M on the south concourse, and extended security perimeters with relocated metal detectors near major walkways.
Ticket scanning will be performed upon entering any gate; gates open two hours before kickoff. Fans can move freely within an expanded security perimeter throughout game day activities.
Outside Gate 9 at Truly’s Tailgate area, additional food vendors such as Texas Roadhouse join existing options like Scoops Ice Cream Shop and Good Ol Chicken Shack.
Before kickoff begins, The Pride of the Southland band is set to march down Peyton Manning Pass with its “Salute to the Hill” performance taking place at the intersection of Peyton Manning Pass and Phillip Fulmer Way rather than over the pedestrian bridge used in previous years.
