President Donald Trump’s expected attendance at Saturday’s Texas-Tennessee game has added another layer of attention to one of college football’s biggest matchups, but Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said his team is accustomed to the spotlight.
Sarkisian addressed Trump’s planned visit Thursday on the Longhorn Network, less than 48 hours before No. 1 Texas travels to Knoxville for its SEC opener against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.
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Trump is expected to attend alongside the national media spotlight, with ESPN’s “College GameDay” also broadcasting from Knoxville for Texas’ first true road game of the season.
Sarkisian said he has not spent time talking with his players about the added attention.
“I haven’t even talked to them about it,” Sarkisian said. “Because I feel like that’s the norm here now. Like, this is what we’ve grown to be accustomed to.”
He said the spotlight comes with being one of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
“When you’re really good, and when you’re ranked where we’re ranked, that kind of comes with the territory,” Sarkisian said. “I think what we do is we focus on what we can control.”
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While Sarkisian said he is not concerned about the added attention surrounding Trump’s visit, he acknowledged his staff has prepared for a possible communications issue.
Sarkisian said stadium communications can be temporarily interrupted when the president moves from one location to another, potentially affecting coaches’ headsets and coach-to-player communication.
“They cut headsets to coaches, they cut headsets to coach-to-player communications,” Sarkisian said. “So you have to plan for that if, and/or when, and you get no warning.”
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Sarkisian pointed to January’s College Football Playoff national championship as an example, saying Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him his team lost communications on its final drive as Trump departed the stadium.
The White House disputed that account Friday.
“No, President Trump’s departure from the CFP championship in January did not cause headset or comms issues for the teams,” the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account wrote on X.
