Univ. of Tennessee AD John Currie said he has not talked to UT football coach Butch Jones "'extensively' about neutral-site games," but he "thinks there can be recruiting and brand benefits" to playing in such contests, according to Jimmy Hyams of GRIDIRONNOW.com. Currie: "We have alums all over the country. There are a lot of good reasons to consider playing elsewhere." Hyams noted Tennessee for the third time in four years will "open on a non-traditional college day" when they play Georgia Tech on Monday, Sept. 4 in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In '16, Tennessee played Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway "before the largest crowd to ever witness a college football game," and next season UT will play West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Former UT AD Dave Hart, who stepped down after '16-17, "liked the neutral-site games" because they "helped recruiting and it stuck it to the city of Knoxville for imposing" a 4.5% amusement tax on UT home games. Currie: "The first priority is always going to be our fans in Neyland Stadium and the impact Tennessee football has on Knoxville. ... We’re able to massage things to where we have seven home games every year at Neyland Stadium. With that said, there are examples of good opportunities to do neutral-site (games)" (GRIDIRONNOW.com, 5/30).
