It’s no secret that Deion Sanders has never been afraid to shake up the norm in college football.
Earlier this past week Sanders floated the idea of holding a joint spring game instead of just an intrasquad scrimmage. That kind of idea has been shared before, but it quickly picked up traction. One of the first to jump on board? New Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, who took to social media to say he’d be all-in: “We will come to Boulder for 3 days,” Brown posted on X.
Now, the big question is whether this actually happens—and if it does, it could be one of the most intriguing spring events in college football history.
During a recent appearance on the NFL Network, Sanders gave an update on the possibility of the Colorado-Syracuse spring showdown.
“Let me give much love and much respect to my dear friend and my brother Fran Brown. I love him to life,” Sanders said via On3. “We’ve already communicated. Fran, I love you. I appreciate you. I’m praying that it happens.”
According to Sanders, the event would be about a lot of aspects outside of football.
“It’s going to be about financial literacy. It’s going to be about everything. It’s going to be about academics, as well. We’re going to do a joint thing, with both teams, if we can make this happen,” Sanders explained.
The idea is to mimic what NFL teams do in the preseason—hold joint practices and then cap it off with a scrimmage. The aim? Competitive reps, better player evaluation, and a more intriguing product for fans to watch.
Previously this spring, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule decided to scrap the traditional spring game, citing tampering concerns. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, meanwhile, said his program won’t go full tilt in the spring either, due to the lengthening grind of the season for College Football Playoff contenders.
Sanders has made it clear he sees things differently.
“The Spring Game will be televised on ESPN2… on the 19th,” he said. “We got to sell this thing out and pack this thing because the way the trend is going, you never know if this is going to be the last spring game.”
That last part—“you never know”—feels like the key motivation here. Sanders wants to innovate before college football’s spring season becomes an afterthought, but the real question is if the NCAA would allow it to happen.
So where does it stand now? Based on what Sanders shared, the conversations are real. There’s mutual interest, but that doesn't really matter when you consider the rules currently in place.
Right now, I'd still say that while it's a great idea, I don't see it happening this spring. However, this could be a foreshadowing of things to come in future springs.