BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado coach Deion Sanders wants his team to be able to face an opponent in its annual spring game instead of an intrasquad scrimmage in the future.
“That’s what I’m trying to do right now, to have it competitive. Playing against your own guys kind of gets monotonous and you really can’t tell the levels of your guys,” Sanders said Monday. “It’s the same old, same old. Everybody kinds of knows each other.”
Sanders said he wants to pattern it like the NFL and have joint practices for a few days near the end of spring practice between his team and an opponent, culminating with a game between the two teams as a spring game instead of a scrimmage.
“I think the public would be satisfied with that tremendously. I think it’s a tremendous idea,” Sanders said.
Sanders said Monday that ESPN2 agreed to televise Colorado’s spring game on April 19.
Across the sport, the list of major programs eschewing the tradition has grown. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, USC and Florida State are among the programs not hosting a spring game in 2025.
“We’ve got to sell this thing out and pack this thing because the way the trend is going, you never know if this is going to be the last spring game,” Sanders said. “I don’t believe in that. I don’t really condone that.”
Teams are foregoing spring games in part to not give information to opponents about personnel or scheme but Nebraska coach Matt Rhule also cited the event as an opportunity for opponents to poach his players in the spring portal window. From April 16 to 25, players can transfer and be immediately eligible in the fall.
“I don’t want these (other coaches) all being able to watch our guys and say, ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him,’” Rhule said.
“To go out and bring in a bunch of new players and then showcase them for all the other schools to watch,” Rhule said, “that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”
Sanders didn’t buy that particular reason for coaches shutting down the tradition. Colorado’s spring game in 2023 was televised and sold out, despite a snow storm on the day of the game.
“Everybody’s moving to stop spring games, I don’t know why. You’re not gonna stop nobody from leaving your program by not having a spring game. If you wanna save money, just say that. The kid’s already gone. They already reached out and contacted somebody else. They’re already gone,” Sanders said. “It’s like when somebody says they not taking your old lady to the prom. Whoever’s gonna get her, they gonna get her. As soon as you go to college, they gonna get her. It is what it is.
“That’s not gonna stop it. I’m just thinking of a way to improve it. That’s why I want to play against somebody.”
This spring, Sanders is also preparing to see his sons begin their careers in professional football. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the 2025 draft. Defensive back Shilo Sanders didn’t get an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine but could hear his name called too.
“It’s a blessing. They received a lot more ignorance than I did (when I played),” Sanders said.
Sanders reiterated that if he felt his sons were going to a poor situation, he would speak with an NFL team behind the scenes “quietly” and attempt to maneuver them to a more advantageous situation.
“We’re built for this. We’ve been through this since birth. From youth ball. From pee wee ball. You don’t think when we pulled up in the car we pulled up with and the gear we pulled up with and the team we pulled up with we weren’t attacked and criticized? They’ve been through this. They got this,” Sanders said. “We’ve already won. We came from a private school and came from an HBCU. We’ve already won. He’s getting drafted in the first round. Shilo’s gonna do his thing. All he needs is an opportunity. We’ve won. We’ve already won. We’re thankful and we’re just trying to pave the way for others.”
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
