President Donald Trump is expected to attend Saturday’s Tennessee-Texas game in Knoxville, and his presence will create an unusual wrinkle for both teams. The Longhorns and Volunteers will have to be ready for moments when their normal coach-to-player communication is unavailable.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed Thursday that the communication systems will be affected whenever the President changes locations inside Neyland Stadium. That means Arch Manning and his teammates could suddenly be on their own for stretches of the game.

In a Thursday Zoom call with reporters, Sarkisian revealed that the communication can be cut anytime during the game, depending on the President’s movement, as reported by Horn Sports on X. The Texas head coach also drew attention to an earlier instance.

According to Sarkisian, Mario Cristobal’s Miami lost communication late in the fourth quarter during its national championship game against Indiana. After Sark’s comments, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti told ESPN that even the Hoosiers briefly lost headset communications.

But that happened around six minutes before the end of the game when Miami’s Malachi Toney scored a touchdown. The communication got restored before the following kickoff. Cristobal is yet to confirm Sark’s comments; however, the Texas head coach said he got his information from the primary source himself.

The issue is particularly interesting for Texas because Saturday will be the Longhorns’ first trip to Knoxville since joining the SEC. They are heading into Neyland Stadium for a matchup that already draws plenty of attention, and now both teams have to account for something unrelated to the actual game plan.

Manning and the rest of the offense are going to need their assignments locked in well before kickoff. If those headsets cut out mid-game, Sarkisian can’t just radio in a new call to his quarterback like normal.

That puts Texas in a tough spot, too, since they can’t lean on their usual sideline communication in a place that’s going to be loud no matter what. Neyland Stadium holds over 100,000 people, which only adds to the challenge for a Longhorns team that hasn’t even played a true road game yet this season.

Trump’s planned appearance was first reported on Wednesday by Clay Travis of Sport & State. Details about his schedule at the stadium remain limited, including whether he will also visit ESPN’s College GameDay, which will be in Knoxville as well.

Trump has turned into a familiar face at big sporting events lately. He’s shown up to UFC fights, sat courtside at Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs at Madison Square Garden back in June, and then made it to the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in July, where he handed Spain the trophy after their win.

Now, Texas is coming off a dramatic comeback victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State on Sept. 12, while its following game against UTSA was considerably quieter. The Longhorns won 30-6, with Manning completing 16 of 32 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

ESPN’s College GameDay in Knoxville has actor Johnny Knoxville announced as the guest picker. The choice has an obvious connection to the city, as he attended high school in Knoxville in the late 1980s before becoming famous and later appearing in movies such as Men in Black II and The Ringer.

He will be making his picks during a particularly busy weekend for the SEC. The conference has four ranked vs.-ranked matchups on the schedule, a record for the conference during the AP Poll era.

All of that will surround the Tennessee-Texas game, but once kickoff arrives, Sarkisian will want his players focused on football. That includes Manning, who has had plenty of noise surrounding him over the past two weeks.

Sarkisian has one simple message for Arch Manning

Manning’s attention was drawn away from the field after his comments about an AI-generated video depicting Sarkisian slapping ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe. Manning later apologized directly to Rowe, but the controversy added another distraction before his quieter performance against UTSA.

Sarkisian has told his quarterback to stop worrying about how people are judging him.

“Who really gives a crap? Just go play, man. Go be you,” Sarkisian said in a weekly presser, explaining that the quarterback at Texas will be criticized regardless of what he does.

He has also urged Manning not to get caught up in comparisons with his famous family members.

“I want him to be Arch Manning,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t want him to be Archie. I don’t want him to be Peyton. I don’t want him to be Eli.”

That advice could be particularly useful in Knoxville, where Peyton Manning remains one of the most recognizable figures in Tennessee football history. Sarkisian also wants his quarterback to trust the parts of his game that make him different, especially pointing to his legs as his advantage.

Now Manning gets his first road test of the season, with the added challenge of knowing that his connection to the sideline could temporarily disappear. While the head coach will prepare for the unusual circumstances, let Arch Manning be Arch Manning.