The NCAA’s decision to reject Colorado and Syracuse’s request for joint spring practices has sparked controversy, with analyst RJ Young questioning whether deeper motives influenced the ruling. The Football Bowl Subdivision oversight committee denied the waiver Thursday during a video call, maintaining the ban on spring scrimmages between programs.
Colorado’s Deion Sanders first suggested the idea, mirroring NFL joint practices. At the same time, Syracuse’s Fran Brown eagerly supported it, citing his respect for Sanders and the decline of traditional intrasquad spring games. Young’s critique amplifies growing concerns over the NCAA’s reasoning behind blocking what some see as a progressive move.
RJ Young Calls Out NCAA Over Syracuse, Colorado Spring Scrimmage Denial
RJ Young has sharply criticized the NCAA Football Oversight Committee for denying a joint scrimmage request that would have allowed Colorado and Syracuse to hold spring practices together.
“The committee had one job to do, and they couldn’t even get that done,” Young said on his YouTube channel, “The Number One College Football Show.”
The proposal, which Young described as “innovative,” would have created what he called a “spring extravaganza” between the two programs.
Young questioned the committee’s reasoning for the denial, calling it “flaccid” and “extremely weak.” He suggested potential bias in the decision-making process, asking,
“If Kirby Smart and Ryan Day wanted to do this, would we be getting this kind of pushback? Would the NCAA say no to a request that would be filed by Ohio State’s head coach and Georgia’s head coach?”
The denied scrimmage comes as several prominent programs—including Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida State, Missouri, Texas, and USC—have canceled their traditional spring games for reasons ranging from stadium renovations to competitive concerns.
Young argued that the rejection was more than a simple bureaucratic ruling—it was a missed opportunity. Sanders, who has consistently drawn national attention to college football, had found a way to keep fans engaged during the offseason.
“Prime’s the same way. You’re bringing people from outside the sport into the sport. People that don’t care nothing about football or college football for that matter care about Colorado, and that is going to grow the sport,” Young said.
RELATED: Colorado HC Deion Sanders Suggests Joint Spring with Syracuse, Talks Bigger Impact
Ultimately, Young concluded that the NCAA’s denial sends a message that innovation is unwelcome, lamenting,
“Now it seems like the NCAA has showed up to say no fun, no more fun.”
The joint practices could have reshaped spring football, creating new energy and enthusiasm, yet the NCAA dismissed the idea without proper justification.
“All they had to do was oop this,” Young said. “They threw you a oop from half from across the court… and you said no.”
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