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 wouldn’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 (March 15), 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.

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 the spring game. That’s just my opinion.”

It is interesting that Kelly downplays the role of spring games in rival programs tapping up each other’s players. However, even with the downplaying, the hard fact is that the Tigers won’t be having a spring game. Take it as you want! In essence, the end result is what’s happening with Rhule’s Nebraska or other programs going the same route. Moreover, tampering is the reality of college football. We even had a coach accusing Oregon Ducks of offering $700k to poach one of their players.

But there we go! No spring games for the Tigers. However, the Tigers’ open practice includes some significant changes in the game structure and format for the greater good of the players.

Brian Kelly tries to get the newbies on their tempo through the unconventional Spring practice 

The first and foremost change will be in the discontinuity of the events. The plan is to break the team’s final practice into more situational work. Also, special teams will be at the center of attention in these games, playing a pivotal part in the early season practice. But the most glaring difference between the traditional and the current version of the Spring game will be the scrimmage format.

”I wanted to make relative to our spring practice in the April 12th game is certainly going to be an opportunity for fans, you know, to see our team, but it’ll be in a different format. It will be, for us, a culmination of the work that we’re going to be doing. It’ll be a scrimmage, but it’ll be controlled situationally,” Kelly said, explaining the advantages of a non-split approach. ”You’ll get a chance to see all of your favorite players and be able to be part of what would be a culmination of the 15 practices, but there’ll be live scrimmaging, but it’ll be in a different format.’‘

Kelly basically wants to turn the spring game into a casual spring practice design, highly focused on giving the young players a chance to add more reps before they see the field in a regular season. Kelly has been eying a strong rebound following a 9-4 slump last season, and getting his weapons honed in a less serious setup is the most relevant thing he can do to ensure the victory.