A second straight season of no spring games, including Alabama's A-Day Game, may be the final nail in the coffin for something that college football fans look forward to in April. A majority of coaches seem not to be fans of spring games due to injury and transfer portal possibilities, and that made some sense considering that until 2026, there was a spring portal right after the annual scrimmage.
The idea that other coaches were watching games on television and were going to try and get players to jump in the portal after seeing them shine in the spring game brought the no tv decision in 2025. In reality it seems like this idea only hurts the fan who is not able to get away to their favorite team's spring game.
With the portal system changing to only one time in December, you think would have alleviated coaches's fears of their players being tampered with after seeing them play right befor the spring portal opened. I never understood how taking the games off television or streaming services prevents them as we know how easy it is for scouts or coaches to get into a spring game to scout as most are free to the public. I was kind of shocked that there will be no games on television or streamining this spring with the portal change and I have no idea why that is the case.
After changing the spring game format in 2025, Kalen DeBoer made sure to move this year's game back to more of the spring game that has long been a part of what happens in Bryant Denny Stadium in April. It was always televised during Nick Saban's tenure, so it also makes you wonder if ESPN and other streaming services just are not interested in showing spring games anymore. I have always been under the impression that, no matter what network the game is on, a majority of games, especially in the SEC, did solid TV rating numbers for the college football fan who had a few months without the game and are so ready to watch their team in the spring.
As the games have moved away from being watched other than videos from within the stadium or being there in person, it makes you wonder how much longer spring games are going to exist. The spring game has always been big for the average fan who may not have the funds to attend a home game during the regular season, and that is why they are so special, especially in the South and some Big Ten locations. Taking them off television has hurt the out of town fans, but hopefully, not making some type of revenue via TV or streaming does not lead schools to cancel the games outright. This game has always been for the fans, and only the fans are hurt if these glorified scrimmages go away forever.