Why is President Trump at Texas vs Tennessee game? President attending SEC clash - USA Today
Arch Manning and Texas are taking on Tennessee football in Week 4. Follow live updates here.
With Texas making its first-ever trip to Knoxville to face Tennessee in one of the season's marquee SEC matchups, Neyland Stadium is expected to be Week 4's hottest ticket, packed with celebrities, high-profile guests and fans from across the country.
Among them is President Donald Trump.
The U.S. President is expected to spend his Saturday on Rocky Top for the top-15 showdown between the Longhorns and the Volunteers, which is to kick off at noon ET.
The quarterback matchup on Saturday features Tennessee true freshman Faizon Brandon and Texas second-year starter Arch Manning, the nephew of Volunteers legend Peyton Manning, who is also on Rocky Top for the SEC clash as well.
Trump has frequently attended major sporting events during his two presidential terms, with his appearances often eliciting boos from fans. He is also expected to be at the Presidents Cup in Illinois this weekend, where the United States is taking on the International team at Medinah Country Club.
It's the second football game he's attended this calendar year, as he was in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium back in January to watch Indiana win its first national championship against Miami.
Yes, Trump is expected to attend the No. 1 Longhorns-No. 13 Vols clash on Saturday in Knoxville, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY on Sept. 23.
While the main reason for his visit to Rocky Top on Saturday remains unclear, the president, a well-known sports fan, appears to be attending what is widely considered one of the premier regular-season college football matchups of the year.
Shortly after the announcement of Trump's expected appearance, the Knoxville Police Department told the Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, that fans should expect an increased security presence in and around the stadium.
"If you’re attending the game, plan accordingly and allow extra travel time," the Knoxville Police Department said in a statement.
Trump's presence — as at any time a sitting U.S. President makes a public appearance — has created additional security checkpoints around Neyland Stadium and an "extended security perimeter."
Much talk about Trump's appearance at Saturday's game has been on the effect it has on both teams' communication systems, depending on the movement of Trump, something that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian brought to attention this week.
"One thing we have to be aware of is when the president goes to a game, any time he enters, leaves or changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication, so they cut your headsets to coaches and they cut headsets with coach to player communication." Sarkisian said during his Zoom availability on Thursday, Sept. 24. "So, you have to have a plan for that, if and or when it happens and you don't get any warning."
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti refuted Sarkisian's later point that Miami's communications went down during the Hurricanes' final drive of last season's College Football Playoff national championship game.
"We got a bunch of BS," Cignetti said with a laugh during his weekly radio show on Sept. 24.
No, Trump did not appear on ESPN's college football pregame show before kickoff between Texas-Tennessee.
Saturday’s game will mark the 13th college football game Trump will attend as president, president-elect or presidential nominee. Here's a breakdown of when Trump has attended a college football game, both in-and-out of office:
Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' new College Football Unfiltered podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer. You can stream on YouTube or download via Apple podcasts and Spotify.
