President Donald Trump will attend Texas football’s SEC opener at No. 14 Tennessee Saturday, and Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian knows from experience that he may have to change the way he communicates with his team.
Quite literally.
Sarkisian has coached in front of a president before, when Trump attended a top-five matchup between Alabama and LSU Nov. 9, 2019, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Sarkisian was Alabama’s offensive coordinator and play caller that season, and he found out that the presence of a sitting president at any event can mean a sudden disruption to communications.
When Trump arrives Saturday at Neyland Stadium, the Secret Service will cut all communications within the stadium. When he leaves, it will do the same. If he strolls down the concourse looking for a hot dog, the communications go out. It’s something to plan for, Sarkisian said.
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“The one thing that we have to be aware of when the president goes to any game is that any time he enters the stadium or leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication,” Sarkisian said. “They cut your headsets. They cut headsets to coaches. They cut headsets to coach-to-player communication. And you get no warning, so that just gets cut out.
“You have to have a plan for that to adjust if, and or when he comes in the middle of the first quarter or leaves in the fourth quarter or decides he’s got to use the restroom, whatever that looks like. You’ve got to be prepared to have no comms for a short amount of time.”
But Sarkisian said his team’s pregame routine won’t be affected even while University of Tennessee police are asking fans to arrive three hours early for the game, which kicks off at noon in Knoxville and 11 a.m. Central Time. Neyland Stadium has an official capacity of 101,915.
Saturday’s game will mark the third time Texas has played in front of a sitting president. Richard Nixon was in the stands at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark., in 1969, when No. 1 Texas visited No. 2 Arkansas. After the Longhorns rallied from a 14-0 deficit to win 15-14, Nixon famously awarded the national championship trophy to Texas coach Darrell Royal in the locker room even though the Longhorns still had to beat Notre Dame in that season’s Cotton Bowl in Dallas to secure the national title.
And in 1976, Gerald Ford attended the Red River Showdown game between Texas and Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl and performed the ceremonial pregame coin toss. Texas and Oklahoma tied that game, 6-6 – which means the Longhorns are undefeated while playing in front of a sitting president.
By the way, Sarkisian said he hasn’t heard whether Trump plans a post-game handshake or any other greeting Saturday with either coach. The president has attended college football games before, but usually leaves early.
This article originally published at Donald Trump will attend Texas vs Tennessee football. Steve Sarkisian explains the impact..
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