Is the 2025 Nebraska spring game Canceled? All you need to know

Nebraska witnessed some progress in the 2024 college football season as Matt Rhule took on his second season with the program. The Cornhuskers finished with a 7-6 record, including a Pinstripe Bowl victory. It set the program on the path to a resurgence in the coming years.

With the preparation for the 2025 college football season set to commence, there are some doubts about holding a spring game this year. Here's a look at the current details regarding the Cornhuskers’ spring game.

Is the Nebraska spring game canceled?

With all indications, Nebraska might not be holding its annual spring game this year. The programs’ coach Matt Rhule has indicated that the Cornhuskers may discontinue its spring game in the future due to concerns surrounding the transfer portal.

"I highly doubt (there will be a spring game)," Rhule said at his press conference Saturday. "I hate to say it like this, it's really because last year we were one of the more televised spring games and I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that."

Over the years, teams have lost players to the transfer portal after taking part in the spring game. Rhule wants to avoid this scenario in the upcoming season. The coach is wary of putting his returning and incoming players on display for other programs.

Nebraska's athletic director had earlier hinted at the possibility of the program not holding a spring game this year. However, he noted that the decision is in the hands of the coach.

"I am not going to call it a spring game," Dannen said during his radio show on Husker Sports Network (h/t On3.com's Sean Callahan). "And do not call it a spring game because I do not expect it to be a game. I don't know what it's going to be just yet. Really, that's going to be Matt’s call."

"I expect something that's not going to be televised, but something that will be a celebration of our athletes and get to see some skills and see what they got, and go from there.”

According to ESPN, six players from the Cornhuskers team opted to enter the transfer portal following the spring game in 2024. Without a doubt, this calls for some concern and caution ahead of the upcoming season.

Matt Rhule’s stance on canceling Nebraska’s spring game is a reflection of the growing impact of the transfer portal on college football. With player movement at an all-time high, coaches are increasingly cautious about revealing too much in a public setting.