The Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers are in for some scheduled technical difficulties on Saturday when President Donald J. Trump visits Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.
When Trump travels to Tennessee, both coaching staffs will experience blackouts in their headsets when Trump moves from one location to another as part of an effort to ensure the president’s safety. It’s a headlining top-25 matchup this weekend when the No. 1 Longhorns travel to No. 14 Tennessee two weeks removed from a big-time win over then top-ranked Ohio State.
Sarkisian was asked about the changes to game day decorum during a media availability on Thursday.
U.S. Presidents have attended dozens of college football games over the years, from the Army-Navy Game to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
It’s the second time Steve Sarkisian will coach in front of Trump, who last caught a Sark game between Alabama and LSU in 2019, when Sarkisian served as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator under former head coach-turned-analyst Nick Saban.
Saban and Trump have an existing relationship; Trump previously attended a college football game between Georgia and Alabama in 2024. Rumors swirled on Wednesday night about whether the president would be named the guest picker for College GameDay, which tapped Johnny Knoxville as its Saturday guest picker on Thursday morning.
The Longhorns are a 4-point favorite on the road this weekend with an over/under of 55.5 points.
