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Donald Trump is heading to Knoxville this weekend. A source confirmed to CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson that the president will attend Saturday’s matchup between No. 1 Texas and the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers, kicking off at noon ET.
The timing isn’t random. Midterm elections are less than six weeks away, and Trump’s got skin in the game when it comes to college sports policy right now.
That’s because the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) is sitting in legislative limbo. Trump backs the bill, which would create a federal framework for dealing with the eligibility and compensation mess that’s engulfed college athletics in recent years. Problem is, neither the House nor the Senate has actually voted on it yet.
Don’t expect to see him on “College GameDay” though. An ESPN source told CBS Sports that Trump won’t be making an appearance on the show, which broadcasts live from Knoxville Saturday morning. That’s a bit different from two weeks ago, when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), one of the bill’s co-authors, showed up as a guest in Austin ahead of the Texas-Ohio State clash in Week 2.
Trump’s trip to Tennessee lines up with comments he made last month, when he called on the Senate to “stop grandstanding, and get this done” regarding the PCSA. Showing up at a top-five showdown like this one sends a pretty clear signal that he’s still pushing for that legislation.
A Return to the College Football Scene
This isn’t Trump’s first rodeo when it comes to big football games. He’s attended Army-Navy matchups regularly over the years, and back in 2019, during his first term, he showed up in Tuscaloosa for the No. 2 LSU-No. 3 Alabama showdown.
Since taking office again, though, he hasn’t set foot on a college campus for a game. Saturday will change that.
And it’s not just any game he’s picking for his return. Texas and Tennessee have never actually met during the regular season before, so there’s already some history-making buzz surrounding this one. Add in the presidential visit, and Knoxville is bracing for a chaotic atmosphere.
Trump has made a habit out of showing up at marquee sporting events during his second term. He was in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX back in 2025. More recently, he caught Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
Now he’s adding college football to that list, at a moment when the sport’s future policy direction is very much up for debate.
