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Kickoff times, TV info announced for Tennessee football's first three games

On3 imageby: Brent Hubbs05/27/26Brent_Hubbs

Kickoff times and TV information for Tennessee football’s first three games of the 2026 season were announced on Wednesday.

Josh Heupel’s fifth season will open with a late afternoon start as the Vols host Furman on September 5 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on SEC Network+/ESPN+ in what will be Tennessee’s streaming game.

The Georgia Tech game on September 12 will be a 7 p.m. ET start on ESPN at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. The Kennesaw State game on September 19 will 7:45 p.m. ET start and will be televised by SEC Network. 

SEC kickoff windows to be announced in June

On June 10 the SEC will announce the windows for start times for the rest of the conference schedule. Those windows are noon, early afternoon, night or flex. 

Tennessee’s season opener against Furman marks just the third ever meeting between the two schools. The Vols and the Paladins played in 1941 and 1942 with Tennessee winning both by a combined score of 84-13. 

The Week 1 storyline for the Vols will be the quarterback position as Tennessee will have a first-time starter in either redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, who appeared in two games last year with just nine pass attempts, or freshman Faizon Brandon, a former five-star prospect who arrived on campus in January.

Week 2 will renew an old Tennessee rivalry as the Vols go to Georgia Tech. The Tennessee-Georgia Tech series was a late addition to the schedule as the home and home was created after the Tennessee-Nebraska was cancelled. 

Tennessee hasn’t played at Bobby Dodd Stadium since 1986

The two teams have met 44 times in total, with Tennessee holding at 25-17-2 advantage. The Vols have one the last two meetings including a two overtime win over the Yellowjackets in 2017.  Tech opens its season on Thursday, September 3, giving the Yellow Jackets eight days to prepare for the Vols.

Tennessee’s last trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium was in 1986, a 14-13 loss for the Vols.

Week 3 will be the first meeting between Tennessee and Kennesaw State. The Owls will bring familiarity with them as head coach Jerry Mack, who enters his second season, returns to Knoxville after working on Heupel’s staff as running backs coach for three seasons, from 2021 to 2024.