Elimination of April Transfer Window Causing Return of Spring Football Games?
#spring football games #transfer portal #Nebraska #Matt Rhule #college football #FBS #spring practice #coaching changes
📌 Key Takeaways
- The removal of the April transfer portal window is leading to a revival of spring football games at many colleges.
- Coaches previously avoided spring games due to fears of televised scouting by rivals during transfer periods.
- Nebraska and other schools like Auburn and UConn are reinstating spring games, citing fan engagement and tradition.
- Spring games traditionally mark the end of spring practice, often featuring offense vs. defense or drafted team matchups.
📖 Full Retelling
The disappearance of the spring transfer portal window creates the opportunity for a reappearance of spring football games on campuses across the country. Playing a game in front of fans to end spring practice had become a fading tradition in the age of conference networks and the transfer portal. Coaches feared the possibility that rival staffs could watch televised spring games and turn them into scouting opportunities. "It just didn’t incentivize us to be out there playing when people could watch that tape on national TV and call a kid," said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who did away with the spring game last year. That’s not as much of a concern now that college football no longer has a second transfer portal window in April. Nebraska responded to the change by bringing back its spring game. "We missed it," Rhule said. "We wanted to do it. … It’s a great thing for the fans. It’s a great thing for people who want to come watch us play. Once they kind of changed the calendar, we went back to a more traditional setting." Nebraska is holding spring practice earlier than most schools, as it held its first workout on Feb. 21 and will conduct its spring game on March 28. Most schools won’t finish spring practice until April. At least a handful of Football Bowl Subdivision programs that responded to a survey from The Associated Press have decided to hold traditional spring games this year after not having them in 2025. That list also includes Auburn, UConn, North Texas and San Diego State, among others. Auburn, UConn and North Texas made their decisions following coaching changes. New staffs decided to go with new approaches that included going back to college football’s past. Spring football games were once an offseason staple. Teams would close spring practices by playing a game in front of thousands of their fans, either by matching the offense against the defense or conducting a pregame draft that divided the team into two separate rosters. But less than half the FBS
🏷️ Themes
College Football, Transfer Portal, Spring Games
📚 Related People & Topics
Matt Rhule
American football player and coach (born 1975)
Matthew Kenneth Rhule (born January 31, 1975) is an American college football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the head football coach for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a position he has held since 2023. He was also the head football coach for Temple University from 2013 to 2016, B...
Nebraska
U.S. state
Nebraska ( nə-BRASS-kə) is a triple-landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska...
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- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on College Football College Football Elimination of April Transfer Window Causing Return of Spring Football Games? Published Mar. 5, 2026 3:08 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link The disappearance of the spring transfer portal window creates the opportunity for a reappearance of spring football games on campuses across the country. Playing a game in front of fans to end spring practice had become a fading tradition in the age of conference networks and the transfer portal. Coaches feared the possibility that rival staffs could watch televised spring games and turn them into scouting opportunities. "It just didn’t incentivize us to be out there playing when people could watch that tape on national TV and call a kid," said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who did away with the spring game last year. That’s not as much of a concern now that college football no longer has a second transfer portal window in April. Nebraska responded to the change by bringing back its spring game. "We missed it," Rhule said. "We wanted to do it. … It’s a great thing for the fans. It’s a great thing for people who want to come watch us play. Once they kind of changed the calendar, we went back to a more traditional setting." Nebraska is holding spring practice earlier than most schools, as it held its first workout on Feb. 21 and will conduct its spring game on March 28. Most schools won’t finish spring practice until April. At least a handful of Football Bowl Subdivision programs that responded to a survey from The Associated Press have decided to hold traditional spring games this year after not having them in 2025. That list also includes Auburn , UConn , North Texas and San Diego State , among others. Auburn, UConn and North Texas made their decisions following coaching changes. New staffs decided to go with new approaches that included going back to college football’s past. Spring football games were on...
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