Clemson Head Coach Purposes Interesting Alternative To Spring Game Format

Spring scrimmages have been a long standing tradition in the college football landscape, but Clemson's head coach Dabo Swinney would like to shake things up a bit.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during Spring Practice in Clemson, S.C. Monday, March 24, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson Tigers head football coach Dabo Swinney has long been known for his willingness to go against the grain when it comes to his views on the sport.

He's never been shy about voicing his opinions on the various hot-button issues that have cropped up around the sport in recent years, no matter how controversial they may be.

Another brash and outspoken figure in college football happens to be former NFL legend and current Colorado Buffaloes' head man Deion Sanders, who recently made headlines with his proposal that college teams schedule other programs for their annual spring scrimmages instead of the current format where teams scrimmage against themselves.

This just so happens to be an area where Sanders and Swinney are in complete agreement, and an idea that Swinney himself has long supported.

"I think y'all can probably rewind every spring practice for the past 12 years, and I think I've said that for years and years and years," Swinney said in a recent post-practice interview with The Post and Courier's Jon Blau.

The longtime Tigers head coach also brought up the fact that these types of preseason scrimmages have long been a part of football at every other level, and that it makes no sense why the college level has refused to adopt to follow suit.

"I mean, from Pee Wee league to middle school to high school, we are the only level of football ... we don't get to practice against anybody," Swinney said. "I've never understood that."

Another curious wrinkle here is the fact that most other college sports allow teams to scrimmage against each other in the preseason, a fact that Swinney used to further his case.

"In fact, we're the only sport in college that can't do it," Swinney added. "Baseball plays people. Soccer plays people. Basketball, run down and scrimmage Georgia. I don't know why we do half the stuff we do."

While Swinney and Sanders certainly pose an interesting concept for what spring ball could be, it would require other top programs to be on board, as well.

The sport would benefit from seeing the nation's top programs go head-to-head in a little friendly spring competition, but as the old adage goes it takes two to tango.

As of right now, Swinney will have to settle with playing his best on best.