Trump to attend major Texas vs. Tennessee college football game and coaches are worried about disruptions

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — When President Donald Trump attends Saturday’s Texas vs.Tennessee college football game, it could mean more than tougher traffic and extra-long security lines for fans.The disruptions caused by Trump’s visit could go all the way to the game on the field, with headaches for coaches and players, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said this week.The Southeastern Conference matchup between the No.

1 Longhorns and No.14 Volunteers in Knoxville is already one of the biggest games in the country this weekend.

Trump will watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play for the first time in the stadium where his uncle Peyton became famous.And what Trump does, and where he goes and when, could prove important.Teams must be ready to lose all communication on their headsets between coaches on the field and the players “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 “anytime” really means anytime.“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.Trump has attended more college football games than any recent sitting president, and he arrives in Knoxville in the midst of a midterm election season and a heated debate over the role of money in college sports that Congress is trying to resolve.

He has attended national championship games and regular-season contests in the SEC and Army vs.Navy.He also attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in June, went to the 2025 Daytona 500 car race, and presented the World Cup trophy to Spain at the final in July.

And last year, he was the first president t...