Tennessee's Josh Heupel just took everyone to school on controversial topic that's currently dominating college football
A strange phenomenon has overtaken college football this offseason. Numerous programs in the sport have decided to do away with their traditional spring games. This is partly out of fear of other programs "tampering" with players (you can thank the transfer portal and mega NIL deals for that) and partly so players can fully recover […]
A strange phenomenon has overtaken college football this offseason.
Numerous programs in the sport have decided to do away with their traditional spring games. This is partly out of fear of other programs "tampering" with players (you can thank the transfer portal and mega NIL deals for that) and partly so players can fully recover from the previous season.
Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, Ohio State, USC, and NC State are among the programs that won't have a traditional spring game this year.
The Tennessee Vols, however, will operate as normal this spring. The program announced earlier this week that Tennessee's annual Orange and White game will be held in Neyland Stadium on April 12 (the game, though, won't be televised).
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was asked on Friday, after the Volunteers' first spring practice, about his thoughts on spring games.
Heupel made it clear that he thinks spring games are important for the fans and for the growth of young players.
"It's not just the tradition of it," explained Heupel. "I do love the spring game opportunity for our fans to be here inside of the stadium. It's usually a great environment on campus that day. I think it's important, in particular, for our young players to get a taste of what it's going to be like in the fall to play in front of a crowd, a big stadium.
"We open up on the road this year. You don't want that to be the first time that they've played in front of a bunch of people. And so that experience, I think it can create urgency, understanding what it's going to feel like as they finish up spring ball going into the summer. At the end of the day, we've got to accelerate their growth curve. A spring game in those settings is a part of accelerating their growth."
It's refreshing to hear a college football head coach place more emphasis on the competitive aspect of the sport as opposed to the politics of the sport (that's nothing unusual for Heupel — he's not one that takes joy in politicking).
Heupel has always been sure to praise Tennessee fans, so it's no surprise that he recognizes the importance of holding a spring game so fans can get the opportunity to connect with the team in the middle of the offseason.
More importantly, Heupel understands that playing in front of a crowd, even if it isn't the same vibe as a game day in the fall, is important for the growth of young players. Regardless of how good of a prospect a player is, there are always going to be some nerves when they take the field for the first time as a college football player. Playing in the spring game allows young players to quell some of those nerves before the real thing starts in late August.
Heupel's simple answer about the spring game is more proof that he's about the right stuff — development, taking care of fans, and preparing players to compete at the highest level.
