Head coach Steve Sarkisian cited the longer college football season and the overall wear and tear on players as the reason for the game’s cancelation.
AUSTIN, Texas — Fans will have to wait a little while longer to see the 2025 Texas Longhorns football team in action.
During a Thursday interview with Fanduel’s Kay Adams, head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed that the program will not hold its annual Orange and White Spring Game this year, citing the longer college football season and overall wear and tear the season already has on players as reasons for the cancelation.
Historically, the Longhorns have held the Spring Game every April at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium, but as the program has found sustained success under Sarkisian, seasons have gotten longer and tougher.
In 2023, the Longhorns played 14 games on their way to a berth in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, while in 2024 they played 16 games – one fewer than an NFL regular season – after the playoff expanded to include two more rounds.
In response to the cancelation, Sarkisian said the Longhorns will adopt a more NFL-style OTA program during the offseason, which falls in line with similar moves Sarkisian has made to make the Longhorns’ operations more adjacent to that of an NFL team.
“We’ve got 21 mid-year high school guys that just showed up, so the development that’s needed to get these guys ready for the fall is a little bit different than it used to be,” Sarkisian said. “So our approach is going to be a little more NFL-driven.”
The Longhorns are joining a growing list of teams in the nation to cancel their Spring Game, as USC, Nebraska and Ohio State have also reportedly opted to cancel theirs.