Big Change? Hugh Freeze And Bob Stoops Pushing For Spring Football Shift
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is looking to shake up spring football in the state of Alabama. Now, other coaches are warming up to the idea.
Freeze, who enters his first season on The Plains, has always been an outside-the-box thinker, mentioned that while the spring game brings relevance to the program, it doesn't necessarily show the potential of a roster entering the new season.
One way to change that approach? Schedule games against smaller in-state opponents.
“I just think it would be great for the sport,” Freeze said. “I think it’d be awesome…. For the life of me, I just don’t understand why we haven’t got to the point where we can pull that off and do something that’ll be helpful to some organization in each state. If every state did this, man, we could make an impact on some people that need it. That would be my idea.
“Until that happens, I think all of us are going to be very guarded.”
Freeze mentioned potentially playing a school like UAB, while in-state rival Alabama could face off against a program such as Troy. If the idea were to be picked up in the Yellowhammer State, it could spread nationwide.
This would include the state of Texas, which features two soon-to-be prominent SEC programs in Texas and Texas A&M. A program like the Longhorns could instead face UTSA or North Texas as a spring matchup rather than a regular-season game. At the same time, the Aggies could set a date to meet with Rice, Texas Southern, or Texas State.
Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was one of several coaches to agree with the notion, stating that most programs would rather face a different opponent rather than battle against one another in what could be a "wasted opportunity" for growth.
"I'd be all for it," Stoops said on 94.7 in Norman, Oklahoma. "If not for the spring game, give us one during any time during the spring that we could just meet up and have our own game. I think it's a great idea. You get tired of just going against yourself. [You have to] make it fair for everybody. You can share it across the country."
Freeze initially had the idea back when he served as the head coach at Ole Miss, but it was challenging to gain traction at the national level. The Tigers coach also mentioned that the format could be a great cause to raise money for the state, and provide more exposure for smaller programs in the region.
Blazers coach Trent Dilfer said he loved the idea of scheduling a matchup with either major program in the state.
"Pretty, pretty, pretty please," Dilfer said. "Yes, yes, of course. Hugh's right. Whether you're Auburn or Alabama, you're looking for live competition, you're looking to not play yourself. I think if you're UAB or Troy, you're looking to hopefully play people that are perceived to be much better than you, so you can use it as a test to see where your program is at."
Trojans coach Jon Sumrall echoed a similar sentiment but suggested that games should be a home-and-home series for both programs.
"I’m open to that for sure. I think there’s some positive about guys having something to play for at the end," Sumrall told reporters Tuesday. "I do think there’s something nostalgic about having a venue on your home stadium for the end of spring with a spring game.
"Why not have two of them? Why not go ‘Hey, we’re going to do a home-and-home in the spring with the same team?’"
The Aggies will hold their annual Maroon and White game at Kyle Field on April 15.
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