The nearly 102,000 fans set to attend Saturday\u2019s matchup between the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers won\u2019t necessarily be the only ones impacted by the attendance of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s movement during the game could also result in communication disruptions for both teams, according to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, a lesson he learned when Trump visited Tuscaloosa in 2019 for a game between Alabama and LSU.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d Sarkisian said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey cut your headsets \u2014 they cut headsets to coaches, they cut headsets for coach-to-player communication, so you have to have a plan for that if and or when, 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 if he comes in the middle of the first quarter or leaves in the fourth quarter or decides he\u2019s got to use the restroom, whatever that looks like, you\u2019ve got to be prepared to have no comms for a short amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s visit won\u2019t otherwise impact the logistics of Texas arriving at Neyland Stadium and Sarkisian hasn\u2019t heard anything about the possibility of the president visiting one of the locker rooms after the game, but Texas fans heading to Knoxville should be aware that the Secret Service will conduct enhanced security measures in and around the stadium.<\/p>\n
Tennessee is asking fans to arrive \u201csignificantly earlier<\/a>\u201d than normal with gates opening at 9 a.m. Eastern and increased travel times to get to and into the stadium because of the possibility of temporary roadway closures, traffic control measures, and pedestrian routing adjustments in addition to more security checkpoints and verification procedures.<\/p>\n