The Tennessee Volunteers have one of the best homefield advantages in all of college football.

The worldwide leader in sports ranked the top college football stadiums in the country, and unsurprisingly, Neyland Stadium was one of their top venues. The Tennessee Volunteers have long had one of the best environments in college sports, and their recent successes under head coach Josh Heupel have only intensified that advantage.

ESPN had Neyland as the No. 10 stadium in the country, which is higher than they were in EA Sports rankings in their new video game College Football 25, in which Neyland was outside the top 10. ESPN’s list was paced by Death Valley, LSU’s home stadium. Teams in front of the Vols included UCLA, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Washington, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Alabama.

Tennessee is preparing to utilize its home-field advantage to make its push toward the College Football Playoff, which expanded to twelve teams this season. The Vols have yet to make the CFP, though they came close in the 2022 season. They believe they have the right blend heading into this season and will rely on Neyland to help them.

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Tennessee will kick off its 2024 football season in 34 days.

The Vols will open its upcoming campaign on Aug. 31 against Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 12:45 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the contest.

2024 will be the fourth season for Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel. In his first three seasons, Heupel is 27-12 and guided the Vols to three bowl games.

The Vols finished 9-4 (4-4 SEC) last season.

With 34 days remaining until the start of the 2024 football season, Vols Wire looks back at Tennessee student-athletes who wore No. 34.

All time players to wear No. 34 for Tennessee:

William McCarren (1937-38)

Ike Peel (1939-41)

Mark Major (1944-47)

Fred Fogarty (1949)

Gary Hermann (1951-52)

Jack Willis (1955)

Sammy Burklow (1956-58)

J.W. Carter (1959-61)

Jerry McKelvy (1964)

Lee Mace (1965)

Richard Pickens (1966-68)

Anthony Edwards (1969-71)

Hank Walter (1972-74)

Rand Willard (1975)

Dennis Wolfe (1976-78)

James Berry (1979-81)

Tanner Holloman (1983)

Jessie Martin (1984)

Reggie Brown (1985)

Reggie Cobb (1988-89)

Armondos Fisher (1991-93)

Steven Johnson (1995-98)

Travis Stephens (1999-2001)

Jabari Davis (2002-04)

Dorian Davis (2007)

Herman Lathers (2008-12)

Jaylen Reeves-Maybin (2013-14)

Patrick Toole (2013)

Darrin Kirkland Jr. (2015-18)

Malik Elion (2017)

Deontae Beauchamp (2019)

Trel Riley (2020-22)

McCallan Castles (2023)

Jack Luttrell (2023)

*Source: 2023 Tennessee Football Media Guide

Story originally appeared on Vols Wire

The Tennessee Titans are breathing a sigh of relief today after an injury to wide receiver Calvin Ridley wasn’t deemed a serious one.

Coach Brian Callahan spoke with reporters following practice to explain Ridley’s ankle flareup.

“No issues coming out of practice,” Callahan said via reporter JT Ruhnke. “Calvin Ridley had a little slight ankle issue. He was out for a little bit. He came back and he was fine. Nobody else with really any issues so we should be good to go on the injury front.”

Any injuries at this point during training camp are tough, so the Titans are happy to have avoided one here, especially to one of the richest players on the team in Ridley. Tennessee signed Ridley this offseason to a four-year, $92 million deal, making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

Ridley, 29, returned to the NFL last season after missing the entire 2022 campaign serving a suspension for violating the league’s anti-gambling policy. He bounced back in a big way, catching 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jags were hoping to re-sign him in free agency, but he said “no thanks” and instead joined arguably their biggest rival in the Titans.

Ridley is expected to be a key contributor for the Titans this season in coach Callahan’s new-look offense alongside fellow free agent signee Tyler Boyd and veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins.

If Ridley can stay healthy like he did in 2023, he could have another big year for the Titans as they look to climb out of last place in the AFC South and take over his former team along with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans to return to first place in the division.

Ridley and the Titans play their first preseason game in two weeks against the San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from Nissan Stadium.

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