Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian stated on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, that he expects game-day communication disruptions during the upcoming matchup against Tennessee due to the scheduled attendance of President Donald Trump. Sarkisian noted that presidential movements within a stadium typically result in the temporary suspension of electronic communication systems used by coaching staffs.
The top-ranked Longhorns are scheduled to face the No. 14 Volunteers on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at Neyland Stadium. The game marks the first appearance at the venue for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, whose uncle, Peyton Manning, previously played for Tennessee. Sarkisian noted that his staff must prepare for the loss of headset functionality, which occurs without advance warning.
Sarkisian previously managed similar conditions as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2019, when Trump attended a game against LSU. He explained that communication is cut whenever the president enters, leaves, or moves to different locations within the stadium. This affects both coach-to-coach headsets and the coach-to-player communication systems.
The communication cuts affect the coaching staffs and players of both teams during the Southeastern Conference (SEC) game. For the student-athletes, this means they may lose the ability to receive play calls or adjustments through helmet speakers, requiring them to rely on alternative methods.
Sarkisian indicated these outages occur "for a short amount of time" but can happen at any point. Coaches will notice a loss of audio in their headsets, which are used for coordinating offensive and defensive strategies between the field and the coaching booths.
Sarkisian said teams must have a plan to adjust if communication is lost during the game. Following the game on Saturday, the teams will resume their standard communication protocols for future matchups.