USC has decided it will follow the lead of Nebraska, Ohio State and others in going away from a spring game this year. It's an interesting move by programs to combat presumed tampering by other schools. With the spring transfer window opening up April 16, programs seemingly do not want to have their teams on display to allow other teams to see the players and make a push for them to enter the portal. That point is what was brought up explicitly by Matt Rhule at Nebraska. Texas and Steve Sarkisian joined the fray today by announcing that the Longhorns will also not be having a spring game or showcase of any sort.
USC is opting to have a "fan appreciation" event in the summer to give fans an opportunity to meet the team but that is obviously not the same as seeing the players in action on the field.
One of my favorite parts of covering Cal is that I actually get to see football because of the open practices. USC is closing up its practices (something it enacted last season) as teams begin to go on full lockdown mode. The Bears have not officially announced their plans for the final practice of the spring though in recent years Cal has wrapped up spring ball with their showcase event that is mostly a scrimmage but partly a regular practice as well. It's not a true spring game, so the Bears have been ahead of the curve in a way.
It is all very interesting to see what is going on across the landscape. Cal actually gets a solid crowd for its spring showcase, so it will be interesting to see if that remains in place as more and more programs are looking like they will not be holding them moving forward.
The college game is changing and more teams are going to an NFL "OTA" type of approach for the spring, and that has brought about the recent change along with the concerns about tampering.
