Manning and the Longhorns will be witness to one of the University of Tennessee ’s more recent traditions at the home of the Vols.
The Tennessee Volunteers have had substantial success at home under head coach Josh Heupel over his five-year tenure in Knoxville. Neyland Stadium has gone from General Neyland’s bed and breakfast - thousands of satisfied visitors each month - back to a true house of horrors over that span. (Well, for most teams except for Georgia, at least.)
In recent years, the Vols have reintroduced a new touch inside Neyland, with the return of the “checker Neyland” promotion. And the school announced on Tuesday that it will continue in 2026 in the Vols’ biggest home game of the year outside of the Third Saturday in October.
Tennessee will checker Neyland for the Vols’ September 26 tilt against Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns .
Texas is the logical choice here. It’s early in the year, so it’ll still be relatively warm ( LSU and Lane Kiffin would have been another solid choice if it wasn’t late November). The Longhorns are also expected to be a national championship contender this year, and Manning carries Heisman Trophy expectations by many. And it’s also the first time these two storied programs will square off in the regular season.
The university also announced the remainder of the special game designations for the season. The salute to service weekend will take place on September 19 against Kennesaw State. Last year, the Vols wore their latest version of the Smokey Grey uniforms for the salute to service game, so perhaps that could be in the works as well again.
Tennessee will host Auburn on October 3 on champions weekend, when all current and former SEC and NCAA championship-winning athletes will be honored. Lastly, the Vols will host rival Kentucky on homecoming on November 7.
