Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-26 · by Jim Vertuno And Teresa M. Walker The Associated Press
Story summary
President Donald Trump is set to attend the highly anticipated Texas vs Tennessee college football game on Saturday in Knoxville, adding a layer of complexity for both teams and fans due to expected security measures. Steve Sarkisian, Texas' head coach, noted that all communication channels, including headsets used by coaches and players, will be cut off whenever Trump enters or exits the stadium or moves around inside it, leaving no prior warning. This disruption adds another challenge for the teams as they prepare for a matchup between the top-ranked Longhorns and No. 14 Volunteers.
Tennessee has implemented unusual tactics to accommodate early fan arrivals, such as opening parking lots at 6 AM and gates at 9 AM, half an hour earlier than usual, along with offering 50% off concessions, including alcohol sales, from 9-10 AM to encourage fans to arrive early. Despite heightened security protocols causing delays, Tennessee fans were excited for Trump's presence, hoping he stays for the entire game.
The event coincides with midterm election season and ongoing debates about money in college sports that Congress aims to address through proposed legislation. With ESPN’s “College GameDay” also present on campus, the atmosphere is electric as Arch Manning makes his NCAA debut in Neyland Stadium, where his uncle Peyton played his college football.
Written for “Trump attends Texas-Tennessee footbal…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.
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.
uncertain
it → attend → 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.
uncertain
Sarkisian → cause → coaches
Trump will watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play for the first time in the stadium where his uncle Peyton became famous.
asserted
uncle → watch → stadium
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.
uncertain
Sarkisian → go → stadium
“They cut the headsets to coaches.
asserted
They → cut → coaches
They cut headsets for coach-to-player communication.
asserted
They → cut → communication
So you have to have a plan for that, if and when it happens, and you get no warning.
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you → have → warning
It just gets cut out,” Sarkisian said.
asserted
Sarkisian → cut → ?
And “anytime” really means anytime.
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anytime → mean → 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.
asserted
Sarkisian → have → restroom
How a presidential visit can affect radio communications
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visit → affect → communications
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.
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Congress → attend → that
He has attended national championship games and regular season contests in the SEC and Army vs. Navy.
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He → attend → 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.
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He → attend → July
And last year, he was the first president to attend a Super Bowl.
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he → attend → Bowl
He left the Super Bowl after halftime.
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He → leave → halftime
Headset communications emerged as the latest subplot surrounding this presidential visit.
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communications → emerge → visit
Coaches communicate with each other on their headsets throughout the game and also call in plays to the quarterback.
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Coaches → communicate → quarterback
Disruptions to those communications, from a deafening crowd, technical glitch or presidential security measure, can present problems for coaches and teams.
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Disruptions → deafen → coaches
Coaches involved in last season’s College Football Playoff championship between Miami and Indiana in New Orleans cited that game as an example of how Trump’s movements affected them.
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movements → involve → them
Trump left in the fourth quarter of a tense Indiana 27-21 victory.
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Trump → leave → victory
Sarkisian said Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him Trump’s leaving at that point disrupted communications on the Hurricanes’ final possession, which ended with a game-clinching interception.
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which → say → interception
Indiana coach Curt Signetti disputed Sarkisian’s version of events around the final drive.
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Signetti → dispute → drive
But Cignetti noted communications briefly cut off in a key moment of the fourth quarter as Indiana was trying to protect its lead.
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Indiana → note → lead
In his weekly radio show on Thursday, Cignetti recalled that when Trump left the game “around the 7-minute mark ... there were two or three plays we couldn’t hear at all.”
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we → recall → mark
“Communication device came back right after the (Toney’s) touchdown,” Cignetti said.
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Cignetti → come → touchdown
“And we had no problem the rest of the game.”
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we → have → 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.”
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president → accord → quarter
The White House on Friday insisted Trump’s departure caused no problems for the teams.
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departure → insist → 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.
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House → cause → teams
It’s unclear if Trump’s presence at other games like the Super Bowl have created issues.
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presence → ’ → 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.
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president → decline → 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.
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officials → lead → game
Gates will open 30 minutes earlier than usual to get the crowd of more than 100,000 into Neyland Stadium.
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Gates → open → 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.”
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kickoff → warn → times
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.
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team → say → kickoff
Spectators who get inside during the first hour after gates open get half-price concessions, including alcohol.
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gates → get → alcohol
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Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.
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Vertuno → report → Austin
The Aporia
