Nebraska coach Matt Rhule ‘highly doubts’ team will have spring game because of the transfer portal

Nebraska’s spring game tradition could be going away. And according to coach Matt Rhule, it’s because of the transfer portal.

Rhule said Saturday that he doubted that Nebraska would have a spring scrimmage on April 26 and was blunt in explaining why he didn’t want to showcase his players.

“I don’t know that yet but I’ll be honest with you, I highly doubt it,” Rhule said when asked if Nebraska would have a spring scrimmage on that date. “And I think it’s really fundamentally, I hate to say it like this, it’s really because last year we were one of the more televised spring games and I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that. So to go out and bring in a bunch of new players and showcase them for all the other schools to watch, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore. It’s just absolute free open common market and so I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t want these guys all able to watch our guys and say, ‘Wow he looks like a pretty good player, let’s go get him.’”

Nebraska’s spring game has been a decades-long tradition and is one of the biggest spring games in college football. Huskers fans routinely pack Memorial Stadium for the game and it produced one of the best spring game moments in recent memory when a then-7-year-old Jack Hoffman scored a touchdown during the game.

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said earlier in the week that April 26 would likely feature a “celebration” of the school’s athletes instead of a traditional game.

You can understand why Nebraska is moving away from a spring game in the current era of college sports. Rhule is far from the only college coach who doesn’t want other coaching staffs to see his players right before the spring transfer portal opens.

Don’t be surprised if Nebraska’s move becomes a trend. While coaches are pushing to change transfer window dates, more teams could follow Nebraska and others and change the way they end spring practices as long as there’s a spring transfer window.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers may not have a spring game this year, according to head coach Matt Rhule. In a recent interview, Rhule expressed doubt that the team would be able to hold their annual spring game due to the increasing prevalence of the transfer portal in college football.

The transfer portal allows players to explore their options and potentially transfer to a different school without having to sit out a year. This has led to a significant amount of roster turnover for many teams, making it difficult to field a full team for a spring game.

Rhule acknowledged the challenges that the transfer portal presents for college football programs, and indicated that the team may have to adjust their plans for the spring accordingly. While it’s disappointing for fans to potentially miss out on the opportunity to see their team in action during the spring game, Rhule emphasized that the team’s focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and making sure they have a competitive roster.

It remains to be seen whether the Cornhuskers will ultimately be able to hold a spring game this year, but fans can rest assured that the team is working hard to be ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

Tags:

Nebraska football, Matt Rhule, spring game, transfer portal, college football, NCAA, team news, football season, roster changes

#Nebraska #coach #Matt #Rhule #highly #doubts #team #spring #game #transfer #portal