The NCAA should take a cue from the NFL and let programs practice and scrimmage against another team in the spring, according to Colorado coach Deion Sanders.
“In fact, I would like to play the spring game in the spring against a different team. Sanders stated Monday that the Buffaloes’ spring game at Folsom Field on April 19 will be televised (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m. ET) and that’s what he’s attempting to do at the moment.
“I would like to style it like the pros. I’d like to go against someone [in practice] for a few days, and then you have the spring game. I think the public would be satisfied with that tremendously. I think it’s a tremendous idea. I’ve told those personnel, who should understand that, that it’s a tremendous idea.”
It didn’t take long for Sanders to find an interested party. Syracuse head coach Fran Brown on Monday posted to social media platform X, offering for the Orange to “come to Boulder for 3 days.”
Under current NCAA bylaws, football teams cannot play against another school in the spring, an NCAA spokesperson told ESPN on Monday.
During the summer, NFL teams often conduct joint practices with another team for a week leading up to an exhibition game between the two sides. In college, teams practice against themselves leading up to an intrasquad scrimmage. For larger programs, those exhibition games would be played in front of large crowds.
Of late, however, many of these spring games are being adjusted into something completely different — such as a skills competition format — or canceled altogether.
Nebraska, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC are among programs ending traditions this spring.
“The way the trend is going, is you never know if this is going to be the last spring game,” said the 57-year-old Sanders, who is entering his third season at Colorado. “Now, I don’t believe in that, and I don’t really want to condone that. … To have it competitive, and to play against your own guys, it can get kind of monotonous, and you really can’t tell the level of your guys.”
The Cornhuskers recently announced that they were replacing their spring football game with skills competitions and 7-on-7 games at Memorial Stadium on April 26. This comes on the heels of coach Matt Rhule expressing concerns about other teams scouting players in the scrimmage and possibly poaching them through the transfer portal.
Sanders said the threat of other programs possibly luring players away via the transfer portal after showcasing their talents during spring games isn’t a factor, at least for him. The spring portal window runs April 16-25.
“Everybody’s moving to stop spring games, I don’t know why,” Sanders stated. “The absence of a spring game won’t prevent anyone from quitting your program. Simply state that if you wish to save money. The child has already left. They have already gotten in touch with someone else. They’ve already left.”
Additionally, Sanders played down rumors of a contract extension on Monday, stating that “there may be” talks.
He uttered, “I don’t know,” “Let’s get everybody else [on the coaching staff] straight first, then I’m good.”
Prior to the 2023 season, Sanders agreed to a five-year contract worth $29.5 million. The Buffaloes finished 9-4 the previous season and 4-8 that year.
