Terms like poaching and tampering have been on a sharp rise in usage in the wake of the huge NIL-driven paradigm shift in college football. Eventually, it turned so massive that it single-handedly held off a series of programs from participating in the traditional spring game. On February 1st, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule divulged that they won’t host the spring games for the year as he fears that the overexposure of the players in front of the outside coaches during the game might lead to potential talent loss to the rivals. The poaching concern and a few other misalignments also forced top-tier schools like Ohio State and Texas to follow suit. The LSU Tigers are not an exception, but they did it with a different mindset.
On Friday, LSU officially joined the ‘no spring game’ crowd in 2025. However, they will host an open practice on April 12, followed by an autograph session for fans. During a press conference on Saturday, Brian Kelly took some time to explain that he didn’t, at all, but the idea that solely the spring game will make the roster vulnerable to the rivals.
Source: Imago
With a transfer portal window opening up shortly following the end of the spring practice, the risk of losing your gems is not totally delusional for the coaches, but Kelly, regardless, is fearless in his takes. When he was asked if he was bothered by the popular fear narrative, the LSU head coach came clean, saying, “I wasn’t worried about that. I mean, I think if you’re going to lose a player, it’s not because of what they put on film in the spring ball; it’s because of what’s happened, you know, throughout the entire semester or year. I think that was just an easy sound bite to, you know, get out from under having spring game. That’s just my opinion.”
However, the Tigers’ open practice includes some significant changes in the game structure and format for the greater good of the players.
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