LSU Football's Brian Kelly 'Open To' Deion Sanders' Idea of Spring Game Matchups

Kelly and Co. wrapped up Spring Camp in April, "open to" idea of joint practices and games in Louisiana.

Courtesy of LSU Football.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a critical offseason in Baton Rouge with the program reconstructing the roster for the 2025 season.

It's been a busy stretch for Kelly and Co. while working through the NCAA Transfer Portal, Spring Camp and more across a four-month stretch.

Near the conclusion of Spring Camp, multiple schools elected to bypass an official Spring Game .

From the USC Trojans to the Texas Longhorns, a myriad of programs made the decision to turn the day into an event that fans could support.

But Colorado head coach Deion Sanders became the outlier here.

The football icon made a statement supporting the idea of programs squaring off against other schools for an official Spring Game.

“We got to sell this thing out and pack this thing because the way the trend is going, you never know if this is going to be the last spring game. I don’t believe in that.," Sanders said in March.

"I don’t really want to condone that. I would like to play in the spring. Actually, I (would) like to play against another team in the spring. That’s what I’m trying to do right now. 

“To have a competitive (game) against your own guys kind of gets monotonous. You really can’t tell the level of your guys because, you know, it’s the same old, same way. Everybody kind of know each other. Towards the end, I would like to style it like the pros.

"I would like to practice against someone for a few days, then you have the spring game and I think the public will be satisfied with that tremendously. I think it’s a tremendous idea. I’ve told those personnel who should understand that it’s a tremendous idea.”

From there, Syracuse's Fran Brown jumped on the chance to take on the Buffaloes, but the NCAA quickly shut down the idea.

Once Spring Camp wrapped up in Baton Rouge, Kelly was asked about the idea of LSU taking on another program for an official Spring Game.

“I would be open to it,” Brian Kelly said. “I think there’s — clearly, the calendar dictates a lot of this, right? We work off of an academic calendar relative to recruiting, relative to different schools being on quarters versus being on semesters.

"So, there’s a lot of things that would have to kind of come together in those situations.”

Despite the NCAA bypassing the Colorado versus Syracuse matchup, Kelly is still "open" to the idea of it.

“What I would say about it is that in years past, it was a dream,” Kelly said. “I think it’s within our grasp now. I think there needs to be some more attention to particular rules that make that difficult. But I think we’re on the course towards that happening.”

The opportunity to play against another in-state team for the LSU Tigers is one that Kelly would like to see most.

Whether it be a full game or joint practices, it could provide an opportunity for different fanbases to join force.

“Well, I would prefer if we were to do some things like a game,” Kelly said. “That we could do some joint practices with some of our neighbors in the state of Louisiana.”

LSU wrapped up Spring Camp last month and will now shift focus towards summer workouts in June prior to Fall Camp in August.

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