Florida and Tennessee will add another chapter to their college football rivalry on Saturday afternoon.
From his time coaching the Gators, Dan Mullen has plenty of experience with this feud. Now moving to a neutral role as an ESPN analyst, he had nothing but praise for Volunteers fans.
“They have not been on top, or even really in the mix as a top program for quite a while,” Mullen said on the College GameDay podcast (h/t Saturday Down South). “But every time you go in there, the stadium’s packed. It’s going to be deafening. I think it’s one of the most impressive stadiums in all of college football.”
He continued to admire the atmosphere at Neyland Stadium.
“It’s impressive that the fan base is that passionate,” Mullen added. “Win or lose wherever they’re at, they’re going to show up, and they’re going to support the team, and they’re going to create a hostile environment.”
He even conceded that “Rocky Top” is “kind of a catchy tune” that always got stuck in his head when preparing to face Tennessee.
Florida has won the last five meetings, including four straight double-digit wins with Mullen as head coach. The Gators also went 4-0 over the Volunteers when he served as the offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008.
While Tennessee has won one of the last 17 meetings, the fans earned Mullen’s appreciation for not giving up on the program.
The No. 11-ranked Volunteers may be poised to channel that energy in Knoxville and reverse their recent misfortune against the Gators this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.