For the second year in a row, the Gophers football team, led by coach P.J. Fleck, will not hold a spring game. Instead, they will conduct one practice open to Dinkytown Athletes members and another open to the general public. Spring practice begins on March 20, with the Dinkytown Athletes practice scheduled for 4:15 p.m. on March 25 at the Athletes Village Indoor Facility, and the public practice set for 4:15 p.m. on April 15 at the same location. Note that these dates and times may change.
After an 8-5 season capped by a win against Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Minnesota skipped last year’s spring game due to weather challenges, the evolving nature of college football, and factors like the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness opportunities, as explained by Fleck. According to ESPN, 19 Power Four schools, including Nebraska—which had 60,452 fans at its spring game last year—will also forgo a spring game this year. Nebraska’s coach, Matt Rhule, cited concerns about other programs scouting their players as a reason to cancel.
The Gophers’ last traditional spring game open to the public on a Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium was in 2017. Weather forced the 2018 game to a Thursday, while the 2019, 2022, and 2023 games shifted indoors. The 2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19, and the 2021 game had limited attendance. This year, both open practices will include a diaper drive to benefit the Diaper Bank of Minnesota, encouraging fans to donate.
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