Tennessee football is paying Kennesaw State $1.05 million to play at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 19.
UT must pay Kennesaw that total within 60 days of the game, according to the contract signed in 2024 by UT athletics director Danny White and Kennesaw State athletics director Milton Overton.
The 14th-ranked Vols (2-0) play Kennesaw State (1-1) on Sept. 19 (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium. It is UT's final nonconference game of the 2026 regular season.
Tennessee and Kennesaw State have never played in football. The Owls are coached by former UT assistant Jerry Mack.
How much Tennessee pays nonconference opponents in 2026
Tennessee is paying more than $1.5 million in guarantees for its two nonconference games at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.
UT paid $500,000 to Furman, an FCS program,
for the Sept. 5 game. And it will pay $1.05 million to Kennesaw State, an FBS program in Conference USA.
Tennessee received $300,000 from Georgia Tech for the Sept. 12 game at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. UT will pay $300,000 to Georgia Tech in 2027 for the return game at Neyland Stadium.
How much Tennessee will pay for future nonconference games
With the SEC moving to a nine-game conference slate this season, only three nonconference opponents are needed to fill the schedule each year. Tennessee is fully booked through 2029. It needs one more nonconference game in 2030 and two more in 2031.
Here’s a quick summary of the payouts for UT’s nonconference games in future seasons.
2027
- Tennessee State: UT pays $600,000
- Georgia Tech: UT pays $300,000
- Western Michigan: UT pays $1.2 million
2028
- West Virginia (in Charlotte): Each school receives $2.5 million or 45% net revenue, whichever is greatest, for neutral site game
- Central Michigan: UT pays $1.3 million
- Chattanooga: UT pays $550,000
2029
- Washington: UT pays $300,000
- Chattanooga: UT pays $550,000
- Bowling Green: UT pays $1.3 million
2030
- UT Martin: UT pays $550,000
- At Washington: UT receives $300,000
2031
- Austin Peay: UT pays $550,000
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.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How much Tennessee football is paying Kennesaw State for game at Neyland Stadium
