President Donald Trump is expected in Knoxville on Saturday to watch No. 14 Tennessee host top-ranked Texas in one of college football’s biggest games of the week.
The University of Tennessee announced the expected visit Wednesday. Sports commentator Clay Travis first reported the plan, and The Athletic reported that the White House confirmed it.
Trump’s appearance will add to an already packed day at Neyland Stadium. The game is Tennessee’s Southeastern Conference home opener and its annual “Checker Neyland” event, when fans fill sections in alternating orange and white. Kickoff is set for noon Eastern on ABC, according to Rocky Top Insider.
Texas rose to No. 1 after defeating Ohio State earlier this month. Both the Longhorns and No. 14 Volunteers enter Saturday unbeaten. The schools have met only three times before, all in the Cotton Bowl, making this their first regular-season matchup, Tennessee Athletics says.
Extra Security for Fans
Trump’s visit will change the arrival routine for ticket holders. Tennessee Athletics says stadium gates will open at 9 a.m. and Secret Service Police will conduct enhanced screening at every gate. The school is urging fans to arrive much earlier than usual, have mobile tickets ready and expect additional checkpoints and traffic delays around campus. Re-entry will not be permitted once a ticket has been scanned.
The school has not announced where Trump will sit or whether he will take part in any pregame events. Trump had not publicly commented on the Texas-Tennessee matchup as of Thursday.
Major sporting events have become a recurring part of the president’s schedule. He attended the College Football Playoff national championship in January, when Indiana faced Miami. In a message ahead of that game, Trump called college football “a cherished fixture in American culture” and praised the traditions surrounding it.
His sports weekend is expected to continue Sunday at the Presidents Cup near Chicago. Trump accepted the role of honorary chairman for this year’s golf competition in August.
