Tennessee Vols fans topple two longstanding marks in Neyland Stadium in 2023

There was understandably a lot of excitement surrounding Tennessee football entering 2023.  After the school's first double-digit win since 2003 and first major bowl game victory since the 1998 national championship game, there was a predictable thirst for the product.  

Vol fans proved that at the Neyland Stadium turnstiles this year in a big way. 

According to the university, the Vols averaged 101,915 fans at seven home games for a total home attendance of 713,405 this year.  That ranked first in the SEC in both average per game and total home attendance. 

Aside from topping the SEC, it topped UT attendance numbers for many years.  For the first time since 2006, Neyland Stadium was sold out for all home games.  Also, it was the highest average attendance since 2007, when the Vols averaged 103,918 per game. 

The Vols' total season attendance also ranked third in the country.  Michigan led all schools with 769,797, followed by Penn State with 758,864. 

It wasn't the best season in Tennessee history, as the Vols followed up a 11-2 record with an 8-4 regular season this fall.  However, there's no doubt that Josh Heupel has energized the Tennessee fan base and given them reason to watch and hope for continued growth of the program. 

The proof is in the stands.