Tulane Green Wave Conference Rival Calls Off Spring Game Next Month

At least one of the Tulane Green Wave’s American Athletic Conference rivals is calling off its annual spring game.

Nov 24, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; UTSA Roadrunners head coach Jeff Traylor reacts to a pass interference call while playing against the Tulane Green Wave during the first half at Yulman Stadium. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Tulane Green Wave football team is expected to have its spring game on April 19 at Yulman Stadium, the culmination of a month of spring workouts that start on March 18.

At least one of the Green Wave’s American Athletic Conference rivals is opting to not have a traditional spring game.

The UTSA Roadrunners announced on Friday that they would not hold a traditional spring game to wrap up spring practices. Per News4SanAntonio.com, the Roadrunners had their spring game at the Alamodome last season and it allowed 8,000 fans to watch the team before the summer break.

"Spring games have traditionally been a part of college football, but the landscape of college athletics is changing faster now than ever before,” UTSA coach Jeff Traylor said in a statement. “In recent years, all across the country, spring games have been less of a game and more of an expanded practice to conclude our spring workouts.”

UTSA isn’t the only team that is calling off its spring game or augmenting it in some way to make it a less traditional football game.

Texas, Ole Miss and Nebraska have called off their spring games. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian cited the number of games the Longhorns have played the last two seasons as part of the reason.

Other schools are canceling games for another reason — the transfer portal. Some coaches have been public about their concerns that their players are being scouted so they can be lured to other schools through the portal. Many spring games are televised, which would give opposing coaches a chance to watch and see which players have made progress in the spring.

Tulane, for now, appears to be all in on having its spring game.

The Green Wave have gone 32-10 over the last three seasons, including three straight trips to the AAC title game, one AAC title and a victory over the USC Trojans in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2022 season. That win total is the fourth-most nationally.

Jon Sumrall took over the program last offseason after the departure of Willie Fritz to Houston. Sumrall picked up right where Fritz left off, leading the Green Wave to a 9-5 season in his first campaign, finishing second in the league standings and earning the AAC title game berth against the Army West Point Black Knights. Army won the title game.

Tulane is preparing for a 2025 season schedule that starts on Aug. 30 when it hosts Northwestern at Yulman Stadium.