Tennessee will get the 2026 season started on Saturday when the Volunteers host Furman at Neyland Stadium. Before the game, the Volunteers’ social media page paid tribute to Dolly Parton, who passed away 10 days ago in Nashville.
In the video, she is singing ‘My Tennessee Mountain Home’, a song she released in 1973. Parton considered by many as one of the greatest Tennesseans of all time, born in Sevier County, TN.
The Volunteers will also honor Parton throughout the game. They will wear a sticker on their helmet, while the band will also pay honor her at the half. According to athletic director Danny White, there will also be a tribute in between the third and fourth quarters.
While not officially confirmed, many Tennessee fans assume “My Tennessee Mountain Home” will be the Vols’ 4th quarter song as alluded to by White this week:
Fans will also see true freshman Faizon Brandon get the start. He is the first true freshman to start a game at Tennessee since 2004, when Brent Schaeffer started. The former 5-star quarterback was one of the top players in the country, as he was the No. 3 quarterback and No. 10 player overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings in the 2026 class.
Tennessee has done a great job recently in season openers, as they have scored at least 45 points in the first game of the year since 2021.
Kickoff between the Volunteers and Paladins will be at 3:30 p.m. ET from Neyland Stadium, and the game will be shown on SECN+.
