Others have reimagined the event as a skills showcase or a way to get former players involved on a quasi-homecoming weekend. At a high school football coaches clinic earlier this month, Syracuse coach Fran Brown said he wasn’t concerned added exposure would lead to programs swiping his players.Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse football will hold its […]
Others have reimagined the event as a skills showcase or a way to get former players involved on a quasi-homecoming weekend. At a high school football coaches clinic earlier this month, Syracuse coach Fran Brown said he wasn’t concerned added exposure would lead to programs swiping his players.Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse football will hold its spring game inside its home stadium after a Billy Joel concert booked for the JMA Wireless Dome was postponed.“And in reality, they’re leaving before that spring game anyway.”The game will be played at 3 p.m., on April 12. It’s not expected to be televised.Coaches that work to re-sign their top returning talent in November and December don’t want to run the risk of having to renegotiate with players if a televised game exposes them to competitors.“I don’t worry about the portal because I treat my players right,” Brown said. “I love them and they love me.Syracuse’s decision not to televise its spring game was done in consultation with its TV partners. A team spokesman said the ACC Network gave schools three options for football content this offseason, and Syracuse opted for a one-hour, all-access show in the preseason.Most spring games are scaled down, glorified practice scrimmages. Yet the spring transfer window allows teams to shore up roster needs before the season kicks off in the fall. The Billy Joel concert was initially booked for April 11. It has been rescheduled for April 10, 2026.Prior to the concert postponement, the spring game was set to be held at the SU Soccer Stadium. School officials planned a block party-like atmosphere outside the venue. Those festivities will now take place on the campus quad outside the dome.Some schools have taken the exceptional step of doing away with the traditional spring game format now that players can get paid and move freely from one school to another.
