Wait, No Arch Manning TV Time? Steve Sarkisian Announces That Texas Will Not Hold A Spring Game

We are continuing to see changes occur around college football, and one of the main topics of conversation this off-season is centered around whether to hold spring games amid the circumstances surrounding the transfer portal and NIL. Well, we can now add the Texas Longhorns to the list of teams that have decided to punt on the idea of putting on a televised event, with Arch Manning being the main attraction. 

I don't know how much of a surprise this should be for some fans, given that we've been hearing rumblings over the past few years that coaches were tired of their players being poached following a period of practices that led to a game to close out the spring period. 

Speaking with Kay Adams, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian announced that his team would not be holding their annual game in April, for a number of reasons. 

"Over the last two years we've played 30 games. That's a lot for college football. 14 two years ago, 16 this year, and I just mentioned we've had 25 guys get invited to the NFL Combine the last two years. So we've got a lot of young players on our roster. We have 21 mid-year high school kids that just showed up. And so the development that's needed for these guys to get ready for the fall is a little bit different than it used to be," Sarkisian noted on Thursday morning.

"And so our approach is going to be a little bit more NFL-driven, kind of more of an OTA style early on. And as we grow into more of the scrimmage formats in the second half of spring ball, I just don't know rolling the ball out, playing the game when we only get 15 practices is the best for us to maximize the opportunities that we get."

Yes, that means fans across the country will not get the opportunity to watch quarterback Arch Manning throwing dimes down the sideline to his receivers playing soft coverage. This also means that we are at a point in time where the ramifications of playing such a long season are catching up with a lot of teams. It was just last month that the Longhorns wrapped up their season, losing to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. 

Texas Joins Other Teams In Canceling Of Spring Game

But, it's not as if the Longhorns are alone in this process. They join Nebraska, USC and Ohio State as teams who have decided not to hold a spring game. While Steve Sarkisian presented a different approach to why they decided on this change of course, Nebraska's Matt Rhule pointed out that he did not want to five opposing teams the opportunity to get a good look at a player that could potentially be poached through the transfer portal. 

And, I don't expect the list of teams to stop with these four, as coaches across the country are making tough decisions on how to approach the once valued event. Some will entertain fans with an event centered around autographs, meet-and-greet opportunities and other add-ons. 

If you remember last season, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin decided to have a hot dog eating contest, along with other skill competitions for the fans to enjoy. 

But, one of the consequences for fans is not being able to see what their roster could look like heading into the 2025 season. I would imagine that Texas would've attracted a massive crowd to see Arch Manning throw the ball 20 times without having to worry about being sacked. 

While some coaches want to hide their talent by not having a showcase game to cap-off spring practice, this will not stop opposing teams from finding players to buy through the transfer portal. There are enough computer systems that these schools use for practice and scrimmage footage that if a player wanted to find a new home, that the next school would have enough information on what they would be getting. 

So, I don't buy the excuse of the transfer portal being the most important reason why some of these schools have decided not to have a live scrimmage in front of fans. 

I'm sure these teams will try and makeup for it with their rabid fanbase. But for the folks hoping to watch a player like Arch Manning sling the football on ESPN, you'll just have to wait until the 2025 season.