The University of Tennessee posted the highest overall attendance of any school in the nation in 2023-24 across football, men's basketball and women's basketball.
A total of 1,161,218 people attended the Volunteers' 38 home events in those three sports. That figure put Tennessee over 96,000 above second-place LSU, which had 44 home events. The only other school to top one million was South Carolina, which had 41 home events.
"The unwavering support of our fans is what makes Knoxville 'America's College Sports City' and gives us the best fan base in all of sports," said Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. "We appreciate our fans' passion and dedication, which powers our student-athletes to achieve their goals and turns every home game into a truly unforgettable experience."
Of the top 35 in the combined attendance national rankings, only one school had fewer home events across the three sports than Tennessee. Thus, Tennessee paced the nation by a healthy margin in average attendance with a 30,558 mark in those three sports. That figure put the Volunteers over 3,500 in front of second-place Michigan and upwards of 5,000 ahead of third-place South Carolina.
Tennessee finished as the lone school in the top 10 in overall attendance in football, men's basketball and women's basketball, while no other institution placed even top-15 in all three. It was also the only one top-10 in average attendance in all three, with just Nebraska also finishing top-15 in all three.
A total of 713,405 fans attended Tennessee's seven home football games, an average of 101,915 per contest. Those tallies ranked third and fourth, respectively, on a national level. Additionally, of the 12 highest single-game home attendances in the SEC, seven of them were at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee, which sold out all its home games, was one of 24 schools to max out capacity in 2023.
The Volunteers drew 314,617 fans for their 16 home men's basketball games, good for an average of 19,664. Tennessee placed fourth in the country in each category. In addition, Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena hosted the nine highest single-game attendances in the SEC this year, each ranking top-24 nationally. Furthermore, eight of the top 17 such single-game crowds, including four of the top six, were Tennessee home games, both the most of any school in the nation. The Volunteers set a venue single-season record with eight sellouts, four of which were over the listed capacity.
In women's basketball, Tennessee amassed 133,196 fans across its 15 home contests, notching an 8,880 average. The Lady Volunteers finished ninth and seventh, respectively, in those categories. They were third in the SEC in each, trailing only the eventual national champion (South Carolina) and the reigning national champion (LSU).
The Volunteers topped one million in men's basketball and football alone, as 1,028,022 fans crossed the turnstiles in those 23 contests. No other school in America reached seven figures in just those two sports. Tennessee placed top-five in overall attendance in football and men's basketball, while only Nebraska and Iowa State were even top-15 in both. It also finished top-five in average attendance in both sports, with just Nebraska also top-15 in each.
On the basketball-only front, Tennessee and Indiana were the only institutions top-10 in overall attendance and/or average attendance. The Volunteers were one of just six schools with over 400,000
combined fans in men's and women's basketball, placing third nationally with a 447,813 mark, behind only South Carolina and Indiana, each of which played at least three more home games. Tennessee finished second in average attendance across both basketball programs, as its 14,446 ledger was just 286 shy of the Gamecocks and 957 ahead of the third-place Hoosiers.
Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball and/or volleyball can visit the Season Ticket Info page and then select a sport to learn more. Tennessee sold out its season ticket allotment in four of those six sports in 2023-24.
COMBINED FOOTBALL/MEN'S BASKETBALL/WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OVERALL ATTENDANCE
Top-10 nationally listed, along with the remainder of the SEC and their national rankings
1. Tennessee – 1,161,218 (38 GP)
2. LSU – 1,064,825 (44 GP)
3. South Carolina – 1,045,709 (41 GP)
4. Michigan – 998,718 (37 GP)
5. Nebraska – 982,365 (42 GP)
6. Ohio State – 976,463 (44 GP)
7. Penn State – 945,304 (43 GP)
8. Texas – 931,291 (43 GP)
9. Alabama – 925,343 (41 GP)
10. Texas A&M – 910,272 (39 GP)
… 12. Arkansas – 868,906 (42 GP)
14. Georgia – 847,502 (41 GP)
15. Kentucky – 832,496 (42 GP)
16. Auburn – 817,406 (40 GP)
26. Florida – 696,630 (35 GP)
30. Missouri – 669,045 (39 GP)
31. Mississippi State – 652,620 (41 GP)
35. Ole Miss – 639,631 (40 GP)
72. Vanderbilt – 322,678 (41 GP)
COMBINED FOOTBALL/MEN'S BASKETBALL/WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
Top-10 nationally listed, along with the remainder of the SEC and their national rankings
1. Tennessee – 30,558
2. Michigan – 26,992
3. South Carolina – 25,505
4. LSU – 24,201
5. Nebraska – 23,390
6. Texas A&M – 23,340
7. Ohio State – 22,192
8. Alabama – 22,569
9. Iowa – 22,318 (40 GP)
10. Penn State – 21,984
… 13. Arkansas – 20,668
14. Georgia – 20,671
15. Auburn – 20,435
16. Florida – 19,904
17. Kentucky – 19,821
29. Missouri – 17,155
34. Ole Miss – 15,991
35. Mississippi State – 15,918
74. Vanderbilt – 7,870
NOTE: National team rankings outside the top 60, on each list, are closest estimate.