Georgia Tech’s annual spring football game, known as the White and Gold Game, is going nowhere, Tech third-year coach Brent Key said Saturday.
“There’s gonna be one, hopefully, as long as I’m here,” he said after his team’s first scrimmage of spring practice.
Spring football games have been a hot-button issue across the college football landscape the past few months.
Nebraska, Minnesota, Southern California, Ohio State and Iowa are just a few of the programs who have canceled their annual spring games or modified the format of the event.
Missouri isn’t having an event because of stadium construction and Texas is taking a break after a long 2024 season.
Clemson is having its annual spring game, but it won’t be televised or streamed. Colorado coach Deion Sanders wanted to make the CU spring game a scrimmage against another FBS opponent, but that request was shot down by the NCAA.
The shift in ideology relates to growing injury concerns as well as possible player tampering, among other factors.
“Look, we’ve gone through a lot now, for the last 2 1/2 years of really getting the students here and the fans engaged. The student body here is so important to our experience and our atmosphere on game day. Spring game is another experience for them,” Key said. “I love spring games. I love ‘em. If I was in the fraternity house down the street I’d be sleepless waiting for the spring game. We’ve worked hard to bring them involved and get them involved in what we’re doing and that’s a treat for them. It really is.
“It’s a treat for our kids. You work your butt off during spring ball really for the opportunity to compete on Saturdays. Now you have fans in the stands and you put the uniform on. That’s a fun time.”
Tech’s spring game is scheduled for April 12. In 2024, Tech estimated a crowd of 12,000 fans attended the White and Gold Game. The crowd of 21,194 for the 2019 event set a record, surpassing the 2012 crowd of 18,125.
This year’s spring game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium, and admission is free.
“It’s a personal opinion, there’s a lot of ways you can do spring (games), that could be a whole other conversation, but I enjoy spring games, I like the spring games,” Key added.
“And as long at we’re at Georgia Tech and I have any say in it, and hopefully my boss (Tech athletic director) J (Batt) believes the same thing and, ultimately, (Tech president) Dr. (Angel) Cabrera. But I love the atmosphere of the spring game and I can’t wait for white and gold weekend here.”
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