KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — When President Donald Trump attends Saturday’s Texas-Tennessee college football game, fans can expect more than heavier traffic and longer security lines.
His visit could also affect what happens on the field, creating challenges for coaches and players, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said this week.
The Southeastern Conference showdown already ranks among the weekend’s biggest games, pitting the No. 1 Longhorns against the No. 14 Volunteers in Knoxville.
Trump will see Texas quarterback Arch Manning play in person for the first time at the stadium where Manning’s uncle, Peyton, became a star.
The president’s movements inside the stadium — including when he arrives, departs or changes locations — could have a direct impact on the game.
Teams must be prepared for their coach-to-player headsets to stop working “anytime (Trump) enters the stadium, leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium,” Sarkisian said.
“They cut the headsets to coaches. They cut headsets for coach-to-player communication. So you have to have a plan for that, if and when it happens, and you get no warning. It just gets cut out,” Sarkisian said.
And that warning can come at any moment.
“You have to have a plan to adjust if and when he comes in the middle of the first quarter, leaves in the fourth quarter, or decides he’s got to use the restroom,” Sarkisian said.
How a presidential visit can affect radio communications
Trump has attended more college football games than any recent sitting president. His visit to Knoxville comes during a midterm election season and amid an intense debate over the role of money in college sports, an issue Congress is trying to address.
He has attended national championship games, regular-season SEC matchups and the Army-Navy game.
Trump also attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in June, the 2025 Daytona 500 and the World Cup final in July, where he presented the trophy to Spain.
Last year, he became the first president to attend a Super Bowl, leaving after halftime.
Headset communication has become the latest complication surrounding the presidential visit. Coaches use the systems to communicate with one another throughout the game and relay plays to quarterbacks.
Any interruption — whether caused by a deafening crowd, a technical problem or a presidential security measure — can create serious difficulties for teams and coaching staffs.
DON’T MISS: Masked Vigilante Gangs Launch Raids Across England
Coaches from last season’s College Football Playoff championship game between Miami and Indiana in New Orleans have pointed to that matchup as an example of how Trump’s movements can affect communications.
Trump left during the fourth quarter of Indiana’s tense 27-21 victory. Sarkisian said Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him the departure disrupted the Hurricanes’ communications during their final possession, which ended with a game-clinching interception.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti challenged Sarkisian’s account of the final drive. However, Cignetti acknowledged that communications briefly went out during a crucial fourth-quarter sequence as Indiana tried to protect its lead.
During his weekly radio show Thursday, Cignetti recalled that when Trump left “around the 7-minute mark … there were two or three plays we couldn’t hear at all.”
The interruption included a misdirection touchdown run by Miami’s Malachi Toney.
“Communication device came back right after the (Toney’s) touchdown,” Cignetti said. “And we had no problem the rest of the game.”
According to the media pool report of Trump’s movements at the game, the president left the stadium with “with just under 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter.”
The White House on Friday insisted Trump’s departure caused no problems for the teams.
“No, President Trump’s departure from the CFP championship in January did not cause headset or comms issues for the teams,” the White House posted on X.
It’s unclear if Trump’s presence at other games like the Super Bowl have created issues. An NFL spokesman declined comment Friday when asked if league officials work with the Secret Service when a president attends a game like the Super Bowl to minimize any impact on team communications.
Trump’s visit to Knoxville will lead to a big increase in security
For Saturday’s noon kickoff, University of Tennessee officials sent a midweek advisory encouraging fans to arrive “significantly earlier” than for a typical game.
Gates will open 30 minutes earlier than usual to get the crowd of more than 100,000 into Neyland Stadium.
Fans were warned of the Secret Service conducting enhanced screening at the stadium gates and they “should expect increased wait times as kickoff approaches.”
A Texas spokesman said the visiting Longhorns team had not been advised to change its usual arrival time of about two and a half hours before kickoff.
But there will be a treat for early fan arrivals. Spectators who get inside during the first hour after gates open get half-price concessions, including alcohol.
