ACC on the verge of NFL-like OTAs? College Coaches are contemplating
Clemson football's spring practices could look a little different in the coming years. During the ACC coaches' meetings on Tuesday, a reimagined spring calendar was proposed—one that closely resembles the NFL's, according to a report from CBS Sports.
OTAs coming to College Football?
In the league, teams have special practices called "official team Activities," or OTAs, for short, that take place in the late spring or early summer. If the conference were to adopt the proposal, it would give teams six additional practices during the spring semester, stretching as far as June.
Unlike the NFL, traditional spring practice will continue. If adopted, each team would have 21 days for on-field activities in the spring, with up to 15 days in full pads and the remaining six padless practices. This would allow for flexible scheduling, as teams can use the 21 days however they'd like in a five-week period.
Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports wrote that the OTA conversation had been brewing for months. It began earlier in January at the American Football Coaches Association conventions. Fears of tampering prompted the talks, with OTAs potentially replacing spring games.
Clemson's head coach Dabo Swinney has already expressed his opinion on eliminating spring games, and spoiler alert, he's not a fan.
'Ain't nobody going to go look at the spring game, go, 'Oh yeah, boy,'' said Swinney.
'They got PFF. That's called PFF. They've got everything on everybody already. Canceling the spring game ain't gonna stop tampering. We're going to need a lot more help than that to stop tampering. And hopefully at some point that'll happen.'
Swinney believes the benefits of evaluating and working against live snaps in the spring outweigh the potential negatives and are crucial to having success in the fall. So, it's probably safe to assume that, even if the OTA proposal becomes a reality, as long as Dabo Swinney is the head coach, Clemson will continue to have a spring game.
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