One worry that some Vols fans had about Neyland Stadium was erased this week

When the Tennessee Vols announced major renovations to Neyland Stadium, there were a number of fans concerned about whether or not the venue's seating capacity would fall under 100,000 for the first time since the end of the 1995 season (when the capacity grew from 91,902 to 102,544). If you're one of the fans that […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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When the Tennessee Vols announced major renovations to Neyland Stadium, there were a number of fans concerned about whether or not the venue's seating capacity would fall under 100,000 for the first time since the end of the 1995 season (when the capacity grew from 91,902 to 102,544).

If you're one of the fans that were concerned, then I have some good news for you.

The new official capacity of Neyland will remain over 100,000. The new capacity will be 101,915, which is down from 102,455. The stadium only lost 540 seats during the renovations.

Neyland is now the sixth largest college football stadium in the nation. LSU's Tiger Stadium passed Neyland due to the reduction in seats (Tiger Stadium seats 102,321).

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Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Alpert speaks to the media in the new Upper North Social Deck section of Neyland Stadium on University of Tennessee’s campus, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022.RANK 4 Neyland0830 0097

The new capacity is still more than it was in 2008 when the stadium seated 100,011. That's the closest Neyland has come to falling below 100,000 seats since the renovations in the mid-1990s.

Ultimately, fans likely wouldn't notice if the capacity was under 100,000 simply by looking at a sold-out stadium. Whether is 99,000 fans or 102,000 fans, it's going to be loud at Neyland Stadium when the Vols are playing well. At times, it feels like there are 150,000 fans in the stadium as loud as it gets.

But I understand the novelty of having over 100,000 seats. There are only eight stadiums in the country that seat over 100,000 and four of those are in the SEC (Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M are the others). It's an exclusive club and Neyland gets to stay in that club.

Maybe it doesn't mean much, but it's still something that Tennessee fans can boast about to rival fan bases.

Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

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