Clemson sticking with spring football game but tweaking broadcast plan. What we know
Spring games might be on the chopping block for some college football programs.
Not Clemson.
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney confirmed on Friday that, amid a wave of spring game cancellations and restructurings at other schools, there are no changes for the Clemson game that’s played annually at the end of spring ball in Memorial Stadium.
The 2025 Orange and White Spring Game remains on as scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, April 5 and will be open to the public and the media, Swinney told reporters before Clemson’s first day of 2025 spring practice on Friday.
Clemson could change its presentation of the games, though, as other programs have done. There hasn’t yet been a final determination on whether or not Clemson’s spring game will actually have a live game broadcast, according to a team source.
“We’re gonna have a spring game,” Swinney said, “and I hope we can have some type of fan day with it as well.”
As for the roster tampering concerns that other programs have cited, and the idea that holding and broadcasting a spring game could give other schools an up-close-and-personal look at your best players before the April portal window?
“Canceling the spring game ain’t gonna stop tampering,” Swinney said.
A number of programs at the Power 4 and Group of 5 level have announced their plans to hold a modified spring game or no spring game at all, as the sport evolves and coaches fear their spring game becoming a showcase event for other schools to watch and potentially recruit away their players.
Nebraska was among the first schools to announce the change for this year.
“I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world and have people watch our guys and say, ‘He looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him,’ ” Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule said, per The Associated Press.
Since then, Texas and N.C. State have also announced they won’t hold a spring game in 2025. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian attributed the move more toward avoiding “wear and tear,” as UT has played 30 games over the past two seasons.
Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren closed all 15 of the team’s spring practices, including the spring game, to the public and the media because N.C. State is working in new offensive and defensive coordinators this season.
Alabama and Arkansas are holding modified spring games but are not broadcasting them. Fans and media can attend, but the games won’t be available on a traditional TV or streaming platform as they have in the past.
Swinney said Clemson isn’t concerned about its spring game from a tampering aspect because opposing teams already have a wealth of information on players they might want to target via the portal or illegal tampering.
“Ain’t nobody gonna go look at the spring game and go, ‘Oh yeah,’ ” Swinney said. “They’ve got PFF (Pro Football Focus advanced metrics). ... They’ve got everything on everybody already.”
Clemson was among the country’s leaders in roster retention this offseason after a 10-4 year, ACC title and College Football Playoff appearance. The Tigers returned eight starters apiece on offense and defense and lost zero starters (and only five total scholarship players) to the portal during the winter window.
Swinney added that the spring game, to him, is a key proving ground for true freshmen and younger players who need more reps. It’s also the only true game-like environment that players get before the regular season.
“You don’t get better football if you don’t play football,” Swinney said. “Now, if you told me we could have two or three preseason games in the fall, I’d probably have a different approach to the spring. But we don’t get that, right?
“There’s a reason why in the NFL, they’ve also got (three) preseason games to play football, to figure their team out. ... We don’t get that. We play LSU. So I look at our scrimmage opportunities as an opportunity to expose our guys, teach them.”
Possible changes to TV product?
Swinney left the door open to possible changes for how Clemson presents and broadcasts its spring game to people who can’t make it to the game itself.
The ACC used to require each of its schools to broadcast their spring game. That’s not a requirement anymore, per multiple reports, and schools including UNC last year and N.C. State this year have declined to broadcast games as a result.
It’s also happening in the SEC at Alabama and Arkansas.
Clemson generally broadcasts its spring game through a league TV partner. Last year’s spring game, for example, was broadcast on ACC Network Extra and featured an ESPN TV crew broadcasting, as well as Swinney on the field with a mic.
Swinney said that won’t be the case this year.
“We’re gonna do our own in-house thing,” he said. “But y’all will see it. We’re going to invite everybody. So show up, come. But I think we’re going to do our own deal so we don’t have to be told what to do. Maybe we can shorten the game, not have to have a bunch of commercials and all of that stuff.”
As part of a news release ahead of spring practice, Clemson did not announce any information for its spring game past the date of the game and the kickoff time.
Full details will be “provided at a later date,” Clemson said.
The team source told The State that, given the number of spring game cancellations and alterations nationwide, there are ongoing conversations between the ACC and its TV rightholders (primarily ESPN) about further broadcast options for teams’ spring games outside of a traditional, regular-season style game broadcast.
Last year’s traditional broadcast captured every play from scrimmage during Clemson’s spring game like a regular broadcast would. Naturally, that sort of broadcast puts the most film and information out in the public.
At this point, there hasn’t been a final call on how Clemson will broadcast its spring game and whether or not it will be a live game broadcast as it’s been in recent years.
The Tigers’ spring game drew 47,000 fans last year, per a school estimation. Swinney said he’d like to incorporate a “fan day” with pregame activities as well.
“Hopefully we have a great crowd and great environment,” he said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM.
