How a 13-year-old became a Neyland Stadium video board dancing star vs Florida

Cayson Cagle was sad.

The 13-year-old came to Neyland Stadium hoping to see Tennessee football beat Florida. It wasn’t going well and he knew his sadness was shared.

Cayson found himself in position to do something about it. The kid from Lexington, Tennessee, appeared on the video boards and made the most of the moment. He danced with everything he had, pumping life into the stadium with each move.

“The hopes were down and energy was down,” Cayson said. “I started dancing and the whole stadium was celebrating so I felt like it got the energy up and the crowd louder. I think it helped a lot.”

Cayson became a Neyland Stadium video board sensation thanks to his dynamic dancing and clever in-game production during Tennessee's 23-17 win against Florida on Saturday .

How Cayson Cagle ended up on the Neyland Stadium video board

Tennessee has seven cameras rolling around Neyland Stadium − four set in place and three roaming. A set camera atop the west tower Saturday spotted Cayson dancing in the first half.

Jimmy Delaney, the Tennessee associate athletics director of marketing and fan experience, noticed. So did Carter Mills, the UT director of broadcasting, who started down his seven options on a screen in the production studio in the nearby Brenda Lawson Athletic Center.

Mills picked that shot and put in on the video board during a “Club Sterl” break, which centers on displaying fans with in-house DJ Sterling Henton playing music.

“We know part of our job is to take those organic moments and prop them up,” Delaney said. "“It was organic then it turned into something.”

The 'little entertainer' becomes a big entertainer

With the push of a button, Cayson was on the video boards. He defaulted to his go-to move with a nudge from his mom.

“We call him the little entertainer of the family,” said Stephanie Cagle, Cayson’s mother. “He always likes to make people laugh and likes to entertain.”

Cayson did that at Neyland Stadium in front of more than 100,000 people. He danced, throwing out moves he learned on TikTok, one after the other. The crowd responded with big cheers — cheers they hadn’t had much reason to unleash during the game.

The camera moved on.

How Cayson Cagle gave Neyland Stadium a boost

Delaney felt the reaction from the open-air box on the fifth floor of the west tower. Fans responded to Cayson’s dancing. They booed when the camera changed.

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Delaney suggested showing another shot on the screen. Another round of boos followed. He made the call to “go back to the kid.” The boos flipped to cheers as the teenager in his No. 6 Dylan Sampson jersey danced.

“Ultimately, we were like we need his energy,” Delaney said. “At that moment in the game, our fans really need something."

The dance move that Cayson Cagle loves most

Cayson didn’t need instruction when the camera returned. He danced immediately.

“I do all kinds of dances,” said Cayson, who goes to Lexington Middle School. “I showed it out.”

Cayson’s favorite move is to “Hit the Quan,” which he did repeatedly with his mom and sister, Carly, 18, sitting next to him. His friends blew up his phone, joking they have a famous friend. He walked to the bathroom at halftime and was celebrated by fans on the way. He was stopped by people, one of whom exclaimed “that was the little guy dancing.”

Anticipating going back to the well

Delaney anticipated returning to Cayson in the second half. He requested the camera operator pinpoint the spot where the Cagles were sitting in section Z12.

He wasn’t in his seat. They picked him out walking up the stairs amid a flurry of high-fives.

“There were 100,000 people in there,” Delaney said. “We think we made all of their days but we definitely made that little man’s day. That is why we do it.”

Delaney’s instinct was correct. They went back to Cayson again to lift the mood at Neyland Stadium. He called for Cayson with the game tied 10-10 early in the fourth and it generated another roar.

Autographs, pictures and a win

Cayson got what he came for: He left Neyland Stadium with a Vols win against the Gators.

“Luckily, I haven’t experienced a loss in the games I have been to,” said Cayson, who was at UT’s 20-13 win against Texas A&M in 2023.

Leaving was a whirlwind process. The Cagles were stopped by fans who wanted to meet Cayson. He signed autographs, including a football in the concourse and a piece of paper passed out of a car.

People told him that he was the reason Tennessee won.

From video board to social media

The Cagles woke up Sunday morning to a surprise. A video of Cayson dancing was on Tennessee football’s social media accounts. It was set to “Rocky Top” and it was generating attention.

Cayson went crazy. Sampson, his favorite player, commented on it.

"That made me so happy and I freaked out when he commented on the video of me,” Cayson said.

The Cagles − including Cayson's father, Jerrod, and oldest brother, Colby, 24 − had plans to go home Sunday. They stuck around Knoxville instead. He had a sitdown interview with WBIR in the afternoon and appeared in studio on WVLT. He made a radio appearance Monday.

Cayson Cagle is coming back for more at Neyland Stadium

Cayson has hopes of being back at Neyland Stadium as soon as possible — and wearing the same jersey. He expects that will mean people remember him.

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Cayson’s sudden fame has been a wild process for the Cagles. It’s the marriage of a charismatic — and confident — kid and a production team with its sights on putting fans first.

UT wants fans to remember the experience at Neyland Stadium and to leave talking about more than the game. They left Saturday talking about Cayson, the video board star who expects it won't be his final time dancing at a Tennessee game.

“I feel like they are going to put me on there no matter what,” Cayson said. “They are going to find me.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How a 13-year-old became a Neyland Stadium video board dancing star vs Florida