Deion Sanders wants Colorado to scrimmage Syracuse in spring, but NCAA rules block it

Deion Sanders has an idea. It makes sense, it would shake things up, and fans would love it. But the NCAA? Yeah, not happening.
Sanders wants spring football to evolve—ditch the outdated format of teammates playing against teammates and bring in actual competition. Just like NFL teams hold joint practices, he wants Colorado to scrimmage another team before their televised spring game on April 19. He even has an opponent lined up.
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown saw what Sanders was cooking and immediately threw his team into the mix.
@DeionSanders we will come to Boulder for 3 days 🎯🍊🙏🏾, Brown posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The idea is fresh, exciting, and would make spring games actually worth watching. But it’s dead on arrival. The NCAA doesn’t allow teams to scrimmage each other in spring.

This rule doesn’t make much sense anymore. More and more programs are canceling spring games altogether because of the transfer portal. Nebraska, Texas, and others have already dropped theirs. And yet, the NCAA still clings to the idea that teams can’t practice against each other in the spring.
Sanders isn’t buying it.
"Everybody’s moving to stop spring games. I don’t know why," Sanders said. "It’s not gonna stop, I’m just thinking of a way to improve it, so I want to play against somebody."
It’s a fair point. College football is evolving. The spring game as we know it is losing relevance, and teams are finding ways to adjust. If joint practices work for the NFL, why not college? Fans would tune in, programs would benefit, and players would get real, competitive reps.
But the NCAA is the NCAA. Unless there’s pressure from multiple programs, this rule isn’t changing anytime soon.

Deion Sanders was courtside, locked in, watching his daughter Shelomi Sanders make her college basketball debut. The moment she hit her first bucket—a long corner two off an assist from Laila Walker—he jumped up and cheered.
A Reach The People Media YouTube video from 2022 captured what happened after the game. Deion was waiting outside the locker room, ready to embrace her.
"It’s okay, first game, new college," Shelomi Sanders said.
"You did great, end it right, forget how you start, end it right … it’s your first game," Deion Sanders responded.
Shelomi’s college career hasn’t been smooth. She started at Jackson State, transferred to Colorado when Deion took the Buffaloes job, then moved again to Alabama A&M in search of playing time.
Minutes were hard to come by at her previous stops. Over two seasons, she played in just seven games, averaging less than two minutes per contest. But this season? A career-high 25 games. She’s still fighting for a bigger role, but she’s playing more.
Alabama A&M is now in the NIT, facing the Chattanooga Mocs in the first round. Deion will be watching.
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