Speculation ran wild across social media after news surfaced about President Donald Trump could be a celebrity guest picker for College GameDay. Fans were left guessing as rumors swirled over who would take on the high-profile role. Now, the wait is finally over. Pat McAfee has officially revealed the guest picker, putting an end to the rumor once and for all.

“Joining us, ladies and gentlemen, is the man who will be the celebrity guest picker this weekend,” said McAfee while he created a perfect build-up before announcing the name on his podcast on September 25.

“As the Texas Longhorns, the number one team in the country, travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on the Volunteers and Coach Heupel. Ladies and gentlemen, there have been a lot of rumors that just kind of run wild about who the guest picker is. For me, this particular person is a perfect pick. A guy who loves the University of Tennessee. Ladies and gentlemen, our celebrity guest picker for game day this weekend is Johnny Knoxville.”

Johnny Knoxville’s connection to the Vols runs incredibly deep. He has been a huge supporter of the team, as he was born in East Tennessee. Knoxville adopted his stage name directly from his hometown. He has been attending football games at Neyland Stadium since he was just four years old. 

“This is one of the best calls I’ve got in my life from you to be the guest picker at Tennessee,” Knoxville said to McAfee. “I bleed orange,” he added as he shuffled through a number of Tennessee shirts and jerseys he was wearing.

While Johnny Knoxville is locked in to make the official picks in the final segment, the sports world is still watching to see if Trump will make a brief, separate interview cameo during the pregame broadcast. 

ESPN declined to comment when pressed by networks such as CBS Sports about a political cameo. Surprisingly, no sitting president has ever served as a guest picker on the show. However, the network has not completely banned political figures. Only recently did Senator Ted Cruz feature in a segment in Austin to discuss the Protect College Sports Act. 

Many things pointed to Trump’s entry into Neyland Stadium as the picker. As the final hour of College GameDay moved inside the stadium rather than being hosted outdoors, fans speculated a specific reason for this layout shift. They thought it was implemented to accommodate the strict presidential security detail. 

While he couldn’t be the guest picker, the University of Tennessee Athletics Department has officially confirmed that Donald Trump will be attending the Texas vs. Tennessee game this Saturday at Neyland Stadium. It will be the first time in history that a US president has ever attended a Tennessee football game in person. 

Records have been broken at the McGhee Tyson Airport

The Week 4 showdown between Texas and Tennessee isn’t just increasing the intensity around the two teams. The matchup is also leading to more footfall for the local airport. On September 23, McGhee Tyson airport officials officially warned travelers to prepare for the most chaotic weekend in the airport’s history. Over 10,000 passengers are scheduled to fly through the Knoxville airport this weekend. It will completely shatter the all-time record. 

The airport was already congested due to thousands of Texas Longhorns fans flying in from Austin. They also have families starting local school fall breaks included in the mix.

The White House’s official announcement yesterday, confirming that Trump is flying in to attend the game, completely intensified the airport’s warning. The Tennessee Department of Transportation and local police announced that Alcoa Highway will face rolling closures. There will be ramp blockades directly between McGhee Tyson Airport and the University campus to accommodate the presidential motorcade.

“If you’re attending the game, plan accordingly and allow extra travel time,” police advise.