President Trump will not be ESPN’s celebrity guest picker for “College GameDay” on Saturday, but he’ll still have a big presence in Nashville.
The President of the United States will be on hand for Saturday’s game between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. It will be President Trump’s first college football game of the season. President Trump has previously attended multiple national title games and a couple of big regular season games.
While fans can expect longer security lines and more of a police presence on Saturday, Texas and Tennessee’s players and coaches will be impacted, too.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian admitted on Thursday that whenever President Trump changes locations on Saturday, all communication inside of the stadium will be cut off. That means that players and coaches will have to prepare for signal calling.
“Anytime the President changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication. They cut your headsets in terms of coach to player communication. So you have to plan for that,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian was an assistant coach at Alabama when President Trump attended a game between the Crimson Tide and LSU.
Tennessee coaches ready for Arch Manning, too
Arch Manning’s uncle, Peyton Manning, starred for the Vols, of course.
“The kids have to understand, yes he has a talent and he’s a quarterback, but he and his uncle, he and his dad, you know, he’s Arch,” Anthony Poindexter, the Vols’ secondary coach said this week. “You watch the tape, the tape speaks for his play. He’s a great player, so he’ll be a challenge and I hope that our guys are up for it
Tennessee knows he’ll be a challenge.
“Well first off, (Manning is) experienced, he has high-end talent, can run, can throw, a really talented player,” the Vols’ co-defensive coordinator said. “And obviously with the receivers they have, he’s got real targets, tight ends, running backs. So, they’ll be a big challenge.”
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. E.T. on Saturday.
