Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders talks to Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) and Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (21) before the football game between BYU Cougars and Colorado Buffalos on December 28, 2024, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Syracuse, N.Y. — Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said that he has already communicated with Syracuse coach Fran Brown about the possibility of the two schools competing in a spring game and that he “prays it’s going to happen.”
Sanders addressed the subject on Thursday during an interview with the NFL Network during the Big-12 Pro Day.
“Let me give much love and much respect to my dear friend and my brother Fran Brown at Syracuse,” Sanders said. “I love him to life. I pray that he’s the guy that’s going to make that jump. His university, we’ve already communicated. Fran, I love you, I appreciate you and I’m praying it’s going to happen.”
On his Instagram account, Brown shared a clip of himself discussing the idea of a Spring Game between the schools with Darien Rencher, a former Clemson player who hosts a podcast called “The Players Club.”
“Why would we stop playing football?” Brown said. “Let’s take it to another level then. Let’s figure out how we can do it.”
NCAA rules do not currently allow FBS teams to hold joint practices or to compete in a spring games.
Many college sports, however, do have exhibition games before the season starts or competitions between schools during the offseason.
Given the lengthy process traditionally required for changing most NCAA rules, it seems a longshot that anything would change quickly enough to allow the teams to play next month.
Still, Sanders said he would like it to happen and it appears Syracuse may be his preferred opponent.
“It’s not just going to be about football,” Sanders said. “It’s going to be about financial literacy. It’s going to be about everything. It’s going to be about academics as well. We’re going to do a joint thing with both teams if we can make this happen.”
Sanders said he would like to do three days of joint practices against Syracuse, capped off by a spring game. Both coaches discussed the possibility of adding other components to the sessions like financial literacy.
” Let us show how it can get done,” Brown said. “Let us be the experiment because we’re going to blow it up, right
The idea for making changing the rules surrounding spring games comes during a year in which many schools are eliminating the tradition.
Reasons given by schools for not holding a spring game this year include fears of tampering with current players, a desire to keep offensive and defensive schemes secret and a shorter window than usual between the end of the College Football Playoffs and spring.
Brown said earlier this month that Syracuse will continue playing its spring game because he appreciates the tradition and isn’t worried about tampering because, “I treat my players right.”
The potential for coaches to judge their team against an opponent and for schools to make money from the event adds two reasons for schools to consider changing their current rules.
Sanders discussed the idea on Monday during a press conference. Brown responded to a social media post about the idea by declaring his interest.
“Imagine a sellout for a spring game,” Brown said. “For real.”
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