With the Texas football program taking on the Tennessee Volunteers in a Week 4 matchup on Saturday, there will be an appearance by a prominent figure who could change the way the game is played. As controversial United States of America President Donald Trump will be in attendance for the Texas football team's game against Tennessee, head coach Steve Sarkisian would give insight into the challenges that come with his presence.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Sarkisian emphasized how any movement from Trump at the stadium on Saturday will lead to team communications being cut off for the Longhorns and Volunteers, due to protective protocols. He mentioned how the same happened during the national title game between the Indian Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes late in the game.

“In the fourth quarter, if he decides to leave early, your communication gets cut off and shuts down,” Sarkisian said, via OnTexasFootball. “A good friend of mine is Mario Cristobal. Last year, when they're playing Indiana in the national championship, they had that drive at the end of that game; they had no communication because he was leaving early before the game ended, and so you get no warning. It just cuts out, and so you've got to be prepared for that. That is definitely something that is unique that could come up in this ball game.”

When President Trump is moving about at Neyland on Saturday, communications are cut off stadium-wide.

Steve Sarkisian says last year's Miami-Indiana national championship dealt with this exact situation … late in the fourth quarter … 😯

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— OnTexasFootball (@ontexasfootball) September 24, 2026

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There's no denying that Trump's presence will be heavily publicized, but now that he could have an impact on the game, it could lead to further scrutiny, especially since the teams get no warnings.

“The one thing that you have to be aware of when the president goes to any game is that anytime he enters the stadium, leaves the stadium, or changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication,” Sarkisian said, via ESPN. “So they cut your headsets. They cut the headsets to coaches. They cut headsets for coach-to-player communication.”

It remains to be seen if Trump's appearance during the game between the Texas football program and Tennessee will end up being a nuisance.