League: NCAAF Sport: College Sports Country: United States Category: Match Previews

White House disputes Sarkisian's claim about Trump's impact on sideline comms

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 26, 2026, 1:34 PM

Last updated Sep 26, 2026

White House disputes Sarkisian's claim about Trump's impact on sideline comms

Summary

During the Week 4 college football matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers, Steve Sarkisian stated that sideline communications are affected by Donald Trump's presence at games. The White House rapidly disputed this claim, labeling it as 'fake news.' Sarkisian referenced an incident from the CFP championship where he alleges communications went down after Trump departed. Meanwhile, two assistants from Miami corroborated that their communications failed. ESPN's College GameDay is on hand for the big game, which is set for Saturday afternoon.

Source Links

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Key Details

•Texas Longhorns face Tennessee Volunteers in SEC showdown.
•Sarkisian claims Trump's movement disrupts sideline communications.
•The White House denies claims of communications issues.
•Miami assistants confirm their communication systems failed.
•ESPN's College GameDay is at the venue for coverage.

Latest Updates

1:34 PMYahoo Sports — White House claps back at Steve Sarkisian claim Donald Trump impacts sideline comms

What they're saying

"
A loaded Saturday schedule for Week 4 of the college football season is headlined by an SEC showdown in Knoxville between the top-ranked Texas Longhorns and No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. It’s the marquee matchup of the week,…
— Yahoo Sports

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