In 1906, the Cornhuskers’ spring game drew major crowds as they tested the new rules against Doane University. Then in 1910, Kansas played a game within their team for some of the similar reasons. But also to show that the new rules were less dangerous to the players. By the 1920s and 30s, spring games started to become the norm and have been a crucial part of college football tradition. No one can point, though, when the games started as they became large spectacles, flocking in crowds unparalleled. Yet the demise of these enriched century-old traditions would surely be well documented.

It all started when Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule signalled an alarm that had tampering concerns as the prime issue. Several other coaches joined the bandwagon of canceling the spring games, including Steve Sarkisian and even Kenny Dillingham, among others. One of those coaches was USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley, too. Now, when he was asked about the same, the Trojans’ head coach made sure to not stir up the pot too much.

“All these coaches have had their different reasons, like the portal thing; I really didn’t factor into that. I just don’t put that much stock into that. The biggest thing for us is that the spring game is for the fans;  a chance to get guys out in front of a stadium. The negative to the spring game is that it now gets broadcast all over the place, so nobody wants to do anything schematically. We felt like we could just continue to progress and not have to maybe worry about that a little bit, and we thought it would be best for our football team”.

While most of the analysts and media personalities had criticized Riley’s ‘desperate move, there might be some truth to the man’s claim. Spring games, after they started getting broadcast, became a tool for rival coaches to scout other teams thoroughly. So, teams also started to focus on rudimentary plays and not reveal much about their schematics. But now with the advent of NIL, the concerns have become more pronounced.

In the year 2023 alone, a whopping 650 FBS scholarship players sought pastures anew through the transfer portal. A year later, in 2024, the departures and transfers rose to an all-time high of 900 transfers. In which 220 players landed at ‘Power 4’ conferences. Matt Rhule, the Nebraska head coach, even faced several departures as he claimed that other coaches “tampered” with his players after the spring games.

In a sense, there seems to be no advantage remaining when it comes to spring games for teams. They can’t test advanced concepts since they will be scouted. They also can’t showcase their best players because of transfer players. The only thing that can be achieved through the games is the tradition of continuing and satisfying fans with open scrimmage. But, in the long run, will it be sustainable?

Lincoln Riley flags concern about Keeshawn Silver’s injury?

USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley’s 2025 season will be one of those seasons where an axe will constantly hang over Riley’s head. A wrong step and he will be shown the back door. Why? Because there have been too many years of mediocrity for USC, the team is now in dire need of results. For context, look at their defense for the last season. They are ranked 65th in total defense with 377.1 yards conceded per game and are ranked 107th in sacks executed per game. But, building on the next season, they did tap into the transfer portal and brought in some well-oiled prospects.

One of the players was Keeshawn Silver, who came in as the top-ranked DL in the 2025 transfer class. But injury concerns plagued him, as he got injured last season against Georgia. However, Riley has given an update on Silver’s injury too, when asked about it in a recent press conference. “We’ll see, I don’t know that I have a definitive date on how he’s progressing. We knew that there was going to be a little cleanup in that knee right when he got here, so we hope to have him do a little bit better towards spring”.

Last year, Silver played all games for Kentucky and has 46 career tackles and a sack to his name. Standing at 6 feet 4 and 336 lbs, he is one of the beasts of a player who will give you that extra edge when needed. Also, couple this with several other players like Jamaal Jarrett, the no. 14 DL in the portal, who will be pairing up with Silver. But, Silver is mainly expected to be the crown jewel in the D-line, as he is reported to be one of the highest-paid players in the transfer portal. The question now is: will he be able to rise from his injury woes and deliver with the same vigor as he did with Kentucky?