Syracuse Appears to Accept Colorado’s Proposal for Joint Spring Practice
Shortly after Deion Sanders proposed the idea of hosting a joint spring football practice, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown quickly showed interest in joining the initiative.
Sanders publicly shared his plan to organize a spring football practice and game against another team, and it didn’t take long for Brown to express his willingness to participate.
On social media, Brown stated, “We will come to Boulder for 3 days,” in a post that garnered significant attention, with 4.5 million views and nearly 30,000 likes.
The proposal comes after Sanders suggested an alternative to the growing trend of college football programs skipping traditional spring games. Rather than canceling these games altogether, Sanders proposed playing a real game against a real opponent.
“I would actually like to play the spring game against another team, in the spring,” Sanders explained. “That’s what I’m trying to do right now.”
This idea would not only help maintain a college football tradition but also add a unique twist, similar to the joint practices NFL teams hold before exhibition games.
However, there is a major issue: such games are not allowed under current NCAA rules. An NCAA spokesperson told ESPN that the organization’s bylaws prohibit football teams from competing against other teams during the spring practice period.
The push to abandon traditional spring games stems from concerns among some coaches that these exhibitions serve more as a tryout for backup players, who may later transfer to rival schools during the spring portal period. This trend began when Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule voiced his concerns, choosing to hold a different type of spring event instead. Following Nebraska’s lead, other schools, including Ohio State, LSU, and Texas, have also decided to opt out of the traditional spring game.
Despite this, Sanders still sees value in holding the spring game.
“The way the trend is going, you never know if this is going to be the last spring game,” Sanders said regarding the shifting practices. “Now, I don’t believe in that, and I don’t really want to condone that… To have it competitive, and to play against our own guys, it can get kind of monotonous, and you really can’t tell the level of your guys.”
Currently, Colorado’s spring football game is scheduled for April 19, and it looks like, due to NCAA rules, the Buffaloes will be playing among themselves.
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