COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – As college football has evolved over the last half-decade, a growing casualty of the modern game has been spring games.
According to a report from On3.com in March, more than 20 programs across the country have scrapped a traditional spring game, many choosing instead to have an open practice for fans. In the Southeastern Conference, those programs include Texas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Missouri, Auburn, and Alabama.
At Texas A&M, at least for the near future, the spring game is here to stay-according to head coach Mike Elko. Saturday, the Aggies will hold their second spring game under Elko, pitting two drafted squads against each other with a 12:30 p.m. kickoff.
For a few programs, including Texas, the reasoning for nixing a spring game has to do with the grind an elongated playoff run puts on the bodies of returning players. Should the Aggies find themselves in that situation, Elko said he might reconsider a spring game for that season.
“I think there’s a reality to having to redefine what your next offseason looks like with the extended playoff and how many games some teams are playing… So, we’ll continue to have a spring game until we make it to the semifinals and then we’ll rediscover, kind of, what our offseason looks like,” Elko said at the beginning of spring practice.
As was the case last season, A&M will stick closely to the real rules of football when playing through the spring game. Each team is drafted by the Aggies’ team captains, with some of the offensive linemen and quarterbacks often switching between teams to make two competitive teams and allow for continuity with different groups of players.
While much of the draft process remains behind closed doors, linebacker and A&M’s defensive captain Taurean York revealed his selection as the first overall pick of the draft was defensive end Cashius Howell.
“I invest a lot in Cashius because I know what he’s capable of. He can be a leader, and guys look up to him on the team. So, I love Cashius and the team loves Cashius, and that’s what’s most important,” shared York.
Offensively, York’s Maroon team has a little more of a first-team flair, featuring starting quarterback Marcel Reed and running backs Rueben Owens and Le’Veon Moss. The team also hosts two transfer receivers in Mario Craver and KC Concepcion.
The White team features starting linebacker Scooby Williams; defensive lineman DJ Hicks; and defensive backs Bryce Anderson, Dezz Ricks, and Will Lee III.
“We want to go out there and put it on display for the fans,” York insisted. “Obviously, we worked hard, and I love the spring because you kind of get to cut it loose a lot more than in fall camp. Because the fall camp, the season, is right around the corner.”
On the other end of the spectrum, some programs have asked permission to scrimmage other programs for a spring game, notably Colorado and Syracuse. Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire reportedly offered the suggestion of doing a combined practice with another program, similar to NFL training camps.
Elko said the challenges in logistics of any of those options would far outweigh what was gained, namely class schedules and differing practice styles between programs.
“I’m not exactly sure how you can do a joint practice for a week while your kids are in class. I’d have a heck of a time trying to convince my kids to go to Lubbock or Waco or anywhere during spring break,” explained Elko. “So, I don’t know how fired up they would be about any of those opportunities.”
Playing another team for a spring game would also defeat some of the purpose of the game.
“If you end it all with a with a game, then, to me, that pulls away a little bit- from a development standpoint- what you’re trying to get done in the spring. Because the second we have to play a game that obviously we have to win; or you guys are all mad at me,” he furthered. “So, that that means you’ve got to game plan. So, you’re out of the mode of fundamental development, fundamental improvement because you immediately have to shift gears into game planning.”
For Elko, the entire premise of a spring game comes back to a singular factor: The players.
“I just think it’s important for the kids,” added Elko. “I think if I was a player and I went through, you know, 13 practices banging head-to-head against each other, it would be really cool to go out there in Kyle Field in front of fans and play a game and, you know, that’s the reward to me; that we give the players.”
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