ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit drew attention from fans during the highly anticipated college football game between top-ranked Texas and No. 14-ranked Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. The event was notable not only for the matchup but also for the presence of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was in attendance. Herbstreit had appeared on ESPN's College GameDay earlier that Saturday and was reporting live from the stadium before the game began. However, fans and social media users took note of his makeup, which appeared uneven and was described by some as "clown-like." A number of comments criticized the appearance, with one user joking, "Kirk Herbstreit needs to take his ass back to Ulta and ask for a refund," and another noting, "Kirk Herbstreit got his MAGA orange makeup on today," referencing the orange hue of the makeup and the association with the Make America Great Again movement. The game also brought mixed reactions from the crowd when Trump was announced. Some fans cheered, while others booed, reflecting the polarized nature of his public presence. However, the broadcast itself faced technical difficulties, with audio issues disrupting the viewing experience for fans at home. One viewer on X (formerly Twitter) joked, "It's amazing how Kirk Herbstreit is broadcasting the game from outer space today," while another compared the audio quality to "a 1994 dial-up internet connection trying to load a low-res quality of a Super Nintendo game." Play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler even asked Herbstreit to "be quiet for a minute" as the static continued during their discussion about the impact of Trump's presence on stadium communications. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had previously spoken about how the presence of high-profile individuals like Trump could disrupt normal operations during games. In an interview with The Associated Press, he explained that when such figures arrive, communication headsets for coaches and players are often cut off without warning. "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. This concern was particularly relevant ahead of Trump's arrival at the stadium, where fans were advised to arrive early for security checks by the Secret Service.