The slow death of spring games: How NIL and the portal are changing college football traditions

A year ago, Lane Kiffin turned spring football into a spectacle of hot dog contests, golf cart races and tug-of-war championships, embracing chaos and fun over any meaningful football. 

Outsiders may have thought it was just another classic Kiffin move, college football’s great showman thumbing his nose at tradition yet again. But there was a clear motive behind the move, and as spring football in 2025 approaches, it is now obvious Kiffin and Ole Miss were ahead of the curve. 

In a college football landscape where paranoia reigns supreme, with alleged transfer portal tampering and NIL-driven poaching at an all-time high, the future of the once-beloved spring game is in doubt. Nebraska’s Matt Rhule has all but confirmed his program will ditch its traditional spring game in favor of a closed format, citing the very same concerns Kiffin anticipated. Other programs are now quietly mulling similar moves, as coaches weigh whether publicly showcasing their rosters is worth the risk of losing players before the season even begins.

Kiffin saw this coming before most. His 2024 spring event minimized any football takeaways while maximizing entertainment, turning what used to be a dry scrimmage into a viral marketing tool for the program. There were no depth charts for fans and media to overanalyze, no full-contact game for opposing staffs to scout, no disgruntled backups counting reps on the sideline and no vultures watching on television, wondering what it would take to lure away any standouts. In short, Kiffin took the safest route possible while still putting on a show.

For years, spring games served as a chance to build hype, get top recruits on campus, give fans a sneak peek, and, in some cases, sell optimism before the fall. They’d serve…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-slow-death-of-spring-games-how-nil-and-the-portal-are-changing-college-football-traditions/

Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2025-02-04 20:46:00

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