Tennessee State will play nonconference football games against SEC opponents Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt over the next four seasons.
TSU athletic director Mikki Allen confirmed the matchups on Monday.
The Tigers are set to open the series at Georgia in 2026. The following year, TSU is scheduled to play Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, although Allen said he is advocating for the game to be played at the new Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The matchup is slated to be played on Sept. 4, 2027, according to Volquest, a property of On3Sports.
The website also reported that, according to the contract, Tennessee will pay TSU $600,000 to play the game.
The Tigers will then travel to Middle Tennessee State in 2028 and to Vanderbilt in 2029. Exact dates for the contests are still being finalized, but Allen said each is expected to be played early in the season.
“We’ve been working on the Tennessee game for a while,” Allen said. “It’s going to be a special game. We’re still working with their administration to figure out where to play. Because we’re here by the state capital and would love to play that game in the inaugural year at the new Nissan Stadium.”
Allen, a former Vols player who was part of Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team, called the addition of Tennessee a “special game” for the Tigers. The games are also expected to provide TSU with guaranteed payouts and national exposure.
“That’s strong, that’s really strong,” Allen said. “I’m from Tennessee. That’s my stomping grounds, so that was important to me. But you think about what we’ve got with this coaching staff with coach Barlow. We’ve got some Super Bowl champs and it just keeps going. So that gave us a lot of connections with some of these bigger programs to work these games out.”
First-year head coach Reggie Barlow, who took over for Eddie George in March, said he welcomes the opportunity for his team to compete against FBS programs.
“You’re talking about SEC games, you’re talking about great tradition programs like Georgia, like Tennessee, and, of course, like Vanderbilt, who’s coming along and doing some wonderful things,” Barlow said.
