Brian Kelly explains canceling LSU spring game for open practice

On Friday, LSU made the decision not to hold a Spring Game in 2025, instead hosting an open practice on April 12, followed by an autograph session for fans. During a press conference on Saturday, Brian Kelly took some time to explain what went into the Tigers’ choice.

“My reasons, more than anything else, is that my last couple years, and in particular last year, we started off, if you remember, you know, with some red-zone situational work. We haven’t got enough special teams work in those games. I wanted to include a bigger piece,” Kelly stated. “So, as I looked at the spring practice itself and the game, I think what was more important to me, where we are as a football team, was to get all of our players an opportunity to get reps. Sometimes, you don’t get the equal amount of reps in a spring game. We have some young players that need some practice time. This will give everybody an opportunity.

“You don’t have to worry about splitting the squad. You don’t have to worry about some of the nuances that splitting it up and having two teams sometimes makes it difficult for you to get the matchups that you want. I can simply go ones-versus-ones and have some really good matchups that can test our players. So, I just think the format of a spring game for us, in this fashion, just makes more sense, and allows us to continue to work on the things that we need to get better at.”

Evidently, it was a football-related decision for Kelly, at least that’s what LSU is sticking with. Many other teams have modified their spring games for 2025 as well, amid a changing landscape in college athletics. 

Tampering has been a major concern in the modern era of college athletics. With a transfer portal window opening up shortly after spring practice comes to an end, players who stand out in spring games could hypothetically draw attention from those outside the program. So, to avoid those players being tampered with, some teams are moving away from playing those traditional games.

All told, it’ll be interesting to see what other programs decide over the next few weeks, but LSU’s decision is in. After a 9-4 season in 2024, the Tigers are hoping to continue their climb under Brian Kelly and take the next step. With quarterback Garrett Nussmeier returning, the sky is the limit, regardless of what they do with their Spring Game.

You can view a running list of spring game decisions announced by programs here, which On3 is tracking. The list will be updated periodically as more decisions are made and announced.