Spring games used to be an annual event for college football teams. They served as a way to put players in a competitive environment, and they were often open to fans so they could get an early look at their team and what it might look like in the fall.
LSU football will not have a spring game; however, a tradition that Lane Kiffin is bringing over from his time at Ole Miss. He explained the reasoning behind this decision during a press conference on Tuesday, citing player safety and privacy as major reasons for discontinuing the event.
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“I just stopped the spring game a few years ago,” Kiffin said. “It was on TV, and you’re giving that, because there was another portal coming up, so you were basically giving people evaluations of your players, especially your newer ones and how they’re doing.
And then it became that, on top of the financial piece of how much you’re investing in [players] now, and how significant injuries are, and looking at the big picture of that, I just feel like it’s not worth it.”
While it’s disappointing that fans won’t get a look at their new team during the spring game, Kiffin’s rationale makes a lot of sense, especially given LSU’s situation. LSU is reportedly spending over $40 million on its roster in 2026 alone, and considering that price, a key player suffering an injury during a full-contact spring game would be incredibly frustrating.
NIL has made building depth throughout the roster even more challenging than it used to be, and if a spring game has a heightened chance of cutting into that depth, then it doesn’t make sense to hold it.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Will LSU football and Lane Kiffin have a spring game in 2026?