Will Neyland Stadium's name change in 2024? Tennessee AD leaves no scope for confusion 

Neyland Stadium is the home of the Tennessee Volunteers, and the stadium is an iconic part of the program's identity and success over the years. It has been called Neyland Stadium since 1962, being named after Robert Neyland, the Volunteers' former coach and athletic director. However, on Tuesday, the Sports Business Journal reported that Neyland Stadium is getting a corporate sponsor.

Will Neyland Stadium's name change?

While the stadium is getting a corporate sponsor, Neyland Stadium will not be renamed in the usual way that sponsored stadiums are. The University of Tennessee has partnered with Pilot, a chain of fueling stations headquartered in Tennessee, for the company to become a "presenting partner" of Neyland Stadium.

This means that from this season, the stadium will officially be known as "Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.”

Additionally, the Pilot log will be placed on the 25-yard line. Speaking to Sports Business Journal, the University of Tennessee athletic director Danny White said:

“You see stadium naming and arena namings and it's a popular way to find mutual win-wins with corporate entities and corporate partnerships. But we knew that Neyland Stadium is always going to be Neyland Stadium. It's in probably 100 songs. They'd have to rewrite the songs.”

The partnership between the two parties does seem like a win-win. For Pilot, they are partnering with one of the most iconic programs in college football, which will only improve their reputation. For Tennessee, it now has a corporate partner for the renovation project of Neyland Stadium and does not have to give up the iconic name in the process.

Speaking about their side of the deal, Pilot CEO Adam Wright told Sports Business Journal:

"I went to a football game [recently] and I just looked around and I thought that there was a lot of opportunity for us to partner in a more meaningful and visible way.

"We started having conversations around that time, and the team has done a great job thinking through a way to do it the right way, as Danny (White) said, out of the past, and help prepare for the future.”

How has Neyland Stadium been renovated so far?

Renovations to the stadium have been happening for the last few years and will continue to do so until 2026. In that time, the stadium made the entire stadium have WiFi, renovated the Skyboxes and put brick cladding around the access routes in the bowl itself.

However, they have not finished there. In the next three years, Tennessee hopes that the South Concourse will be fully expanded and all the entry plazas will be finished in time for the 2026 season.

The stadium renovations are part of Tennessee’s "Neyland Entertainment District," a complex that will connect many of the arenas that the Volunteers use. This is similar to what is seen in cities like Philadelphia and Dallas.