How many Spring practices are allowed for each college football team?

The college football season is nearly upon us, but teams are getting underway with spring practices and games before the season starts.

Spring practices allow coaches, especially new coaches, to see their players on the field in their system. It gives them an idea of who will play key roles for them in the upcoming season.

However, each team only has a select amount of spring practices.

How many Spring Football practices are allowed?

Each team is allowed just 15 spring practices in a 34-day window.

Spring football practices include 20 hours per week of unrestricted activities and at least one off day per week.

The full rules for spring practice according to the NCAA are:

• Practices can be conducted over 34 days with 20 hours per week of unrestricted activities. Players must receive one day off per week.
• 15 on-field practice sessions may be held, with no more than 12 involving contact.
• Full contact may not occur until the third practice.
• Eight of the 12 contact practices can involve tackling, and not more than three of those eight may be devoted to 11-on-11 scrimmages.
• During noncontact practice sessions, headgear may be worn.

What is the purpose of Spring practices?

Spring practices are a good developmental time for college football teams and players.

Coaches can execute their system and see how players will fit into it, especially with the turnover in the roster due to the transfer portal.

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart says he doesn't put much stock into spring practices as he uses it to gauge where players are physically:

"I am excited about where our team is headed. I am really excited about this group. We have had three practices, two shorts and one full-pad practice on Saturday. We will get to be in pads today and keep things rolling. There is a lot of competition out there."

"As a whole, the overall field is probably a little younger than I remember in the past.

"I don't sit here and put expectations on top of people of having super high expectations. I want them to fit into our culture, buy into special teams, practice hard and learn how to practice in the spring to come back in the fall and be conditioned and smarter to benefit us more. Each one of them has done that," via the team website.

Regardless, spring practices are the first step in college football teams looking to win a championship.