President Donald Trump is expected to attend this weekend’s SEC matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee in Knoxville. His attendance could affect communication on the field.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters Thursday that the president’s attendance could affect communication systems used between coaches in the press box and those on the field. That could create challenges in relaying play calls from the booth to players.
“The one thing we have to be aware of when the president goes to any game is that any time he enters the stadium or leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication,” Sarkisian told reporters. “So they cut your headsets. They cut the headsets to coaches. They cut headsets to coach-to-player communication. So you have to have a plan for that, if and/or when it happens, and you get no warning. It just gets cut out.”
Sarkisian said he learned that firsthand when Trump attended a game between Alabama and LSU in 2019. Sarkisian was Alabama’s offensive coordinator at the time.
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He also said the president’s presence could affect when players arrive at the stadium and alter their pregame routines.
Texas reached the No. 1 ranking this season after defeating then-No. 1 Ohio State two weeks ago in a thrilling comeback victory. Now, the Longhorns face their biggest road test of the season.
The University of Tennessee Police Department urged fans to arrive early for the noon matchup.
“Ticketed attendees are strongly encouraged to arrive significantly earlier than they would for a typical game,” the department said. “Enhanced security screening will be conducted before entry by the Secret Service Police at all stadium gates. Fans should expect increased wait times as kickoff approaches.”
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Trump has frequently attended college football games. He was at last year's Army versus Navy game, then was on hand for the College Football Playoff finale between Miami and Indiana.
