College Football Spring Games Are Slowly Returning — But Coaches Like Lane Kiffin Still Aren’t Biting

A number of college football programs are starting to embrace spring games again, and it couldn’t come at a better time for athletic departments across the country.

For decades, spring games served as a staple of the sport, giving fans a much-needed glimpse of their teams during the offseason. They provided real competition and a sense of anticipation heading into summer workouts, or at least the opportunity for fans to get excited heading into "talkin’ season."

Then came the transfer portal, and NIL paydays.

With the NCAA introducing a spring portal window, rosters were suddenly vulnerable at the worst possible time. Coaches found themselves losing starters and key depth pieces to rival programs offering bigger NIL deals or better opportunities for playing time.

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The result? Chaos inside football facilities nationwide.

Programs were forced to navigate constant roster uncertainty during spring practice, with players weighing lucrative offers elsewhere. In some cases, it felt less like recruiting and more like open-season tampering.

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While a certain player might have had the intention of sticking with a team through the season, the lure of making more money was essentially turning into extortion around the sport. 

When a school invests time and resources into developing a player, only to watch him leave just as he’s ready to break out, it creates a major problem.

Take former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who left Knoxville just one day before the Vols’ spring game. While multiple factors played into his departure, it highlighted the broader issue: the spring portal window was disrupting continuity at a critical time.

And he wasn’t alone.

Across the country, players capitalized on the timing of spring practice to secure better deals, leaving programs scrambling to fill holes before summer workouts even began.

Faced with that reality, many schools began scaling back or eliminating traditional spring games altogether.

Instead, fans got watered-down "showcases" that resembled an episode of MTV’s "The Challenge" more than actual football. Others replaced games with fan fests, autograph sessions, or combine-style events.

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In the process of eliminating games, programs lost a valuable opportunity to engage their fan base — and promote their brand on national television.

Now, with changes to the transfer portal calendar, some schools are bringing spring games back. But not everyone is convinced it’s worth the risk.

For LSU's Lane Kiffin, even though the spring transfer portal period is no longer around, he's not willing to risk potential injuries. Also, given the amount of money LSU spent on their roster, an extra scrimmage is not worth losing a player that they just spent a few million dollars on. 

"I just stopped the spring game a few years ago," Kiffin said. "It was on TV, and you’re giving that, because there was another portal coming up, so you were basically giving people evaluations of your players, especially your newer ones, and how they’re doing.

"And then it became that, on top of the financial piece of how much you’re investing in [players] now, and how significant injuries are, and looking at the big picture of that, I just feel like it’s not worth it."

College football spring games are slowly returning—but coaches like Lane Kiffin still aren’t sold (Photo by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

It’s a fair concern. With millions of dollars tied up in rosters, even a minor injury in a spring scrimmage could have major consequences.

Still, there are ways to adapt, and some coaches are choosing to lean in rather than pull back.

Deion Sanders is one of them.

"We’re going to do it like we’ve been doing it," Sanders noted. "We are probably going to be out there an hour."

While some programs remain cautious, others see value in giving fans a glimpse of what’s ahead.

Television networks will also play a role, albeit on a smaller scale. Peacock is set to broadcast Notre Dame’s spring game, while ESPN+ and SEC Network+ will stream Georgia and Texas A&M. The Big Ten Network is also planning coverage over the coming weeks.

Now, we wait to see if schools want to start making money during the spring, by actually playing a game against a real opponent that is worth watching.