No one on West Coast does the Spring Game as big or exciting as Oregon football. It's a party, it's a celebration, a community fundraiser and a tribute to the troops, but it's also a real football game with two roughly equal squads, referees and a scoreboard clock.
All of those are in short supply anymore. Schools like USC, Nebraska, Ole Miss and Washington are scrapping the spring game for things like tug of wars and cone drills out of concerns about tampering, opponent scouting and injuries. Even Texas opted out.
Meanwhile, Dan Lanning has doubled down. At the start of spring practice in March he said,
“As long as I’m here, we’ll be doing spring games."
“I think it’s the best way for us to get better. We’re absolutely gonna have a spring game. . . . Autzen’s one of those places we have a spring game. It’s a game-day environment, creating that environment for those players, the competition that exists in that, and our fans, what they bring to that, I think, is a huge piece. So for me, it’s the right way to cap off the spring.”
The tradition means a lot to Oregon fans. For some, it's their one chance to see the team live, with season tickets ranging from $373 to over $2,300.
Need You There! https://t.co/3egU4zrRmr
— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) April 15, 2025
The Spring Game adds huge value as a showcase of Oregon football. It's on national TV on the Big Ten Network. The highlights will make Sports Center. Lanning and his staff will be entertaining a massive list of top recruits, including Jackson Cantwell, the nation's No. 1 recruit and top offensive tackle.
A loud, enthusiastic crowd with authentic Autzen energy is the best recruiting tool Lanning has, although the Ducks have many. It was the energy of Autzen that awed Kayvon Thibodeaux on his visit, the site of appreciative fans rising as one with thunderous noise.
Autzen is different. Introducing new players and recruits to that atmosphere is an opportunity not to be wasted. Bringing a true game day atmosphere to the last practice of spring is both a statement and a can't-miss party.