The possibility of joint spring practices between Colorado and Syracuse may come to fruition as both head coaches are working with the NCAA to bypass the current regulations that prevent such activities.
Colorado made headlines last week after Deion Sanders expressed his interest in conducting spring practices similar to the NFL where an opposing team practices against the host team for a few days then follows up with a scrimmage.
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown responded to a post on X that the Orange would be willing to come to Boulder for three days, but the idea of these two teams practicing together this spring appeared to be unattainable with NCAA rules explicitly prohibiting programs from doing so. However, Brown and Sanders are hoping to lift the restrictions with their current efforts.
The Post-Standard in Syracuse reported last week that Colorado and Syracuse have both filed paperwork that, if approved, would allow joint practices and the scrimmage at Folsom Field in place of the Buffs’ current spring game that is scheduled for April 19 and will be televised by ESPN 2 at 2:30 p.m. MT.
"It's in the hands of the NCAA right now," Brown said on Syracuse’s opening day of spring practice. "We all locked in. Me and Coach Prime are excited. I love Coach Prime. Since I met him when I started recruiting his son Shilo [Sanders] back at Baylor, he's been just a straight class A dude, trying to show all young dudes how to come up in the game. How to do stuff right and just to be yourself. Locking in. We've been locked in. We're hoping this happens.”
The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee next meeting is on April 10. They could come to a decision on whether or not the NCAA will grant a waiver at that time.
There are a few logistical hurdles in order for Syracuse to orchestrate these joint practices with the obvious travel details and costs to iron. However, Syracuse just began practice Friday. In order to comply with the NCAA’s rule that allows 15 practices within a 35-day window, Brown and the Orange would have to modify their practice schedule and potentially eliminate a few practices. Syracuse’s spring game is currently scheduled for April 12.
Regardless of the potential changes for the Orange, Brown appears to be committed to making these joint practices a reality.
“Yeah, absolutely, I would definitely want to do that,” Brown said. “I think that it will help the game because where it’s going nobody wants to have spring games anymore.”
While the NCAA is still reviewing the paperwork, Sanders is informing the Buffs that these joint practices may be a real possibility.
“This thing may very well happen,” Sanders said in a video published by Well Off Media. “Have spring practices and a spring game against another opponent. It may very well happen. It looks really good right now.”
If the joint practices are permitted, Sanders and Brown also hope to take action off the field and in the classroom with a joint course on financial literacy.
“We got some financial literacy things that we are going to go through,” Brown said. “We’re going to have an academic session also for them to understand and know how important it is to handle all of those other pieces.”
Sanders also attested to the academic element on NFL Network at Big 12 pro days.
“It’s gonna be about financial literacy. It’s gonna be about everything,” Sanders said in an interview with the NFL Network. “It’s gonna be about academics, as well. We’re gonna do a joint thing with both teams if we can make this happen.”
