College football‘s annual rite of spring seems to be withering.
Texas became the latest major program Thursday to ditch or change its annual spring scrimmage that has long been a staple for fans eager to see the rising stars of their program and get a peek into the upcoming season.
Coach Steve Sarkisian announced there would be no Orange & White scrimmage this year, citing the wear and tear of playing 30 games over the last two seasons when Texas twice advanced to the College Football Playoff.
“We’re not going to have a spring game,” Sarkisian said in an interview with Kay Adams on the “Up & Adams Show.”
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It’s time to find a new way to develop players and preserve their bodies amid longer schedules, Sarkisian said.
“We’ve got a lot of young players on our roster,” he said. “We have 21 mid-year high school kids who just showed up. The development that is needed to get these guys ready for the fall is a little bit different than it used to be.”
“I just don’t know rolling the ball out, playing the game, when we only get 15 practices, is the best for us to maximize the opportunities that we get.”
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At Ohio State, which beat Texas in the CFP semifinal on its way to the national championship, coach Ryan Day recently said the Buckeyes will have a spring showcase instead of the traditional scrimmage game, but gave few details. He noted some of the same wear and tear concerns that Sarkisian had.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said earlier this month his program likely wouldn’t have a spring game because he did not want to give other programs — who may dangle lucrative name, image and likeness payments — an easy chance to evaluate and poach his players through the transfer portal.
And Southern California has reportedly considered dropping its spring game.
Not everyone is changing.
As of Thursday, about half of the 68 Power Four schools had publicly announced dates for spring games. Formats vary, with some schools holding traditional scrimmages and others conducting skills competitions and holding autograph sessions.
National championship runner-up Notre Dame will hold a traditional spring game. So will teams such as Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennessee.
Coaches clearly face the conundrum of pleasing fans who want to watch their teams, or draw a protective curtain around their rosters.
“I’m either going to have coaches tampering with my players or I’m going to have a fan base that’s pissed off we don’t have a spring game,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “Pick your poison.”
Spring football practices are said to have been the brainchild of Harvard captain Arthur Cumnock, who led the team through drills in March 1889. It became common in that era for teams to scrimmage against each other in the spring.
Michigan held the first open-to-the-public spring game, an intrasquad scrimmage, on May 14, 1925. By the 1950s, spring games had become annual events across the country, either as intrasquad scrimmages or games between the current team and alumni.
The tradition peaked in the 1990s as some legacy programs filled their stadiums and generated millions of dollars in revenue.
While they remain popular and a big draw at some programs, some schools have begun moving away from traditional spring games because of smaller rosters and the risk of player injuries.
Some have turned their end-of-spring events into fan festivals or special access practices for top donors.
Mississippi last year replaced its “Grove Bowl” last year with player activities such as seven-on-seven flag football, a dunking contest and a hot dog eating contest featuring renowned competitive eater Joey Chestnut.
BYU four years ago replaced its open scrimmage with an alumni game. Minnesota stopped its traditional spring game after 2016, but donors to the school’s NIL collective are invited to an open practice.
TCU last year held “Frogapalooza” with live music, family activities and promotions for students.
Spring games have been broadcasting content for league networks eager to please ever-hungry fans.
Texas canceling its spring game could put a hole in the SEC Network’s broadcast schedule. The former Longhorn Network used to broadcast the game, but all Texas programming shifted to the SEC Network when Texas joined the league prior to last season.
“There have been instances in the past when a school does not conduct a spring game for various reasons. That decision is at the discretion of the school,” said SEC spokesman Chuck Dunlap.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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