Encouraging fans to get inside Neyland Stadium earlier than usual with Donald Trump coming to Tennessee’s college football game against Texas sure worked Saturday. Security checks on the stadium’s perimeter went relatively smoothly with Tennessee officials opening the stadium 30 minutes earlier than normal. Fans got half-price off concessions as a reward for showing up early, and Tennessee faithful had the stands half full 90 minutes before kickoff and nearly packed an hour before.
Those in their seats were treated to a low-altitude flyover by Air Force One as the US president came into town with the Volunteers and Longhorns warming up on the field below. Trump landed at 11.28am ET ahead of the noon kickoff, according to reporters traveling with the president. Trump’s motorcade arrived at Neyland Stadium just as the national anthem was being sung at 11.59am.
Trump pumped his first a couple times when shown in his seat on the videoboards with Tennessee’s US senators on either side. One of them, Marsha Blackburn, is running for governor of Tennessee. The president’s motorcade left at 2.07pm with the game in the second half.
Colin Simmons tied the program record with five sacks as top-ranked Texas went on to hold off No 14 Tennessee 20-17. The president’s visit did not appear to affect communications between coaches and players on the field thanks to some coordination before Saturday’s game. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said earlier this week that teams had to be ready to lose all communication on their headsets between coaches on the field and the players “anytime [Trump] enters the stadium, leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium.” ABC/ESPN reported Saturday that both schools worked with the Secret Service on audio channels in hopes of keeping communications clear, noting an official timeout for a serious disruption could be an option.
The Southeastern Conference matchup between the Longhorns and Volunteers in Knoxville already was one of the biggest games in the country this weekend. Trump came to watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play for the first time in the stadium where his uncle Peyton became famous. Trump has attended more college football games than any recent sitting president, and he arrived in Knoxville in the midst of a midterm election season and a heated debate over the role of money in college sports that Congress is trying to resolve.
He has attended national championship games and regular season contests in the SEC and Army v Navy. He also attended Game 3 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in June, went to the 2025 Daytona 500 car race, and presented the World Cup trophy to Spain at the final in July. And last year, he was the first president to attend a Super Bowl.
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