Spring games have been a staple of college football for decades. They give fans a first look at their team, provide valuable reps for players, and serve as a fun way to bridge the gap between the offseason and fall. But lately, a growing number of programs have decided to cancel them altogether.
The trend started with Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, who claimed last year’s spring game led to tampering, with other schools trying to lure his players into the transfer portal. That set off a chain reaction.
Texas, Ohio State, Michigan State, and several others have followed suit, each with their own reasons. Some coaches say they’d rather use the time for more controlled practices. Others, like Florida State, are blaming stadium renovations. Some programs have said they would host a Fan Day of sorts, but not as a traditional spring game.
But not everyone is on board with this shift. Programs like Clemson, Colorado, and Texas A&M are moving forward with their spring games, and now Notre Dame has joined that list. Marcus Freeman recently spoke with the media, sharing the Irish's plan for the end of spring.
“We will have a Spring Game. It will be a version of a Spring Game. Again, it’s important to me to use that as an opportunity one to let our players perform in front of our fans but two, it’s a chance to really integrate our community and our fans with this football program. I think it’s so important to me is to give the opportunity to fans that maybe typically don’t get the opportunity to come to a Notre Dame game or, if they do, to give them another opportunity to come and engage with our players,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the main reason for having the spring game is to make sure that fans have a chance to engage with the team.
“I don’t want to take away from that. There’s a lot of pros and cons for each decision, but that one, to me — my decision of keeping our Spring Game was I want to use this opportunity for our team and our football program to make sure that we are really interacting with our fans.”
While more schools may continue to cancel their spring games, Freeman isn’t buying in. He sees the value in these scrimmages, not just for his players but for the fans who support the program. It will be interesting to see how this plays out through the rest of spring in college football and beyond, because it feels like some big changes could be on the way.