Tennessee coach Butch Jones, center, gets a cooler of ice dumped on him while participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge at the conclusion of the Tennessee football team’s open practice at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014.KNOXVILLE – Von Pearson took his official recruiting visit to Tennessee last year for the Volunteers’ upset win against South Carolina.
The junior college transfer receiver played in front of an announced crowd of nearly 69,000 at Neyland Stadium for Tennessee’s Orange and White game in April.
This, however, was a practice, not even the Vols’ first of the day, but that didn’t stop Tennessee fans from coming out in droves.
Pearson played in front of crowds of 200 people at Feather River College in California the last two years, but he and the Vols practiced in front of an estimated crowd of 40,000 at Neyland on Saturday night.
“I know they’re hungry for us to win some games,” he said. “I know if we win some games, this whole town is going to go erupt. I’m very happy about that.