ESPN Tells Kirk Herbstreit to Stop Talking During Tennessee-Texas

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit and the ABC broadcast booth lost clean audio early in No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday, right as the crew talked about how President Donald Trump's visit could affect communication inside the stadium.

Static and garbled sound hit the call with Texas up 7-0 and 9:54 left in the first quarter. Just before that, Herbstreit and play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler had been discussing whether Trump's movements inside Neyland Stadium would disrupt headset communication.

At one point, Fowler could be heard telling Herbstreit to "be quiet for a minute" as the broadcast sorted out its audio issues.

What happened to ESPN's broadcast audio?

Right as Laura Rutledge explains Donald Trump's presence leading to communication issues for Texas and Tennessee, the ABC audio becomes a mess.

Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit try to deliver the play-by-play in a painful listen for ABC viewers. 🏈🎙️😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/DAESHVhS7u
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 26, 2026

ABC put a graphic on screen during the segment. It defined electromagnetic deconfliction as coordinating radio frequencies so different systems don't interfere with each other.

Then the booth audio started to crackle and cut in and out. The static kept going for several minutes, and viewers posted clips of the broadcast on social media.

One X user called it "the most ironic moment I've seen on a sports broadcast in a minute." Another account joked that the "Secret Service has turned off Kirk Herbstreit."

Trump's visit and Texas headset warnings

ESPN Tells Kirk Herbstreit to Stop Talking During Tennessee-Texas — Air Force One flies over Neyland Stadium before the game between Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trump landed in Knoxville at 11:28 a.m. ET. His motorcade pulled up to Neyland Stadium during the national anthem at 11:59 a.m., and he came to watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play in the stadium where his uncle, Peyton Manning, became famous.

Tennessee opened the gates 30 minutes early because of Secret Service screening. The game marked the 30th straight sellout at the 101,915-seat stadium.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian warned during game week that teams could lose headset contact any time Trump enters, leaves or moves around the stadium.

"They cut the headsets to coaches. They cut headsets for coach-to-player communication. So you have to have a plan for that, if and when it happens, and you get no warning. It just gets cut out," Sarkisian said.

The Longhorns coach also said his staff had to be ready if Trump "decides he's got to use the restroom."

Why fans pointed to Miami-Indiana national championship

Some viewers linked the audio trouble to last season's College Football Playoff national championship, in which Indiana beat Miami 27-21 in New Orleans.

Sarkisian said Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him Trump's exit in the fourth quarter cut communication on the Hurricanes' final drive. That drive ended with a game-clinching interception.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti disputed that account of the final drive. Still, Cignetti said on his radio show Thursday that when Trump left, "there were two or three plays we couldn't hear at all."

The White House rejected the claim on X, posting, "No, President Trump's departure from the CFP championship in January did not cause headset or comms issues for the teams."

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