Georgia’s Spring Game in Limbo as College Football Calendar Faces Overhaul
ATHENS - For Georgia fans, the annual G-Day spring game has long been a staple of the offseason - a first look at the next wave of Bulldogs and a chance to see how the team is shaping up for the fall. But this year, there’s real uncertainty about whether that scrimmage will even happen.
Athletic director Josh Brooks didn’t confirm whether Georgia will host a spring game in 2026, leaving the door wide open for change. “We’ll see,” Brooks said after Friday’s Athletic Board Meeting.
“Everything on that end is building and making those decisions work. We’re kinda just getting through the portal now and we’ll see.”
Translation: the spring calendar is very much in flux - and Georgia’s not alone. As a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, Brooks is right in the thick of discussions about how the structure of spring football might evolve. The committee is weighing everything from the transfer portal timeline to the impact of the expanded College Football Playoff, and those conversations are far from simple.
“There’s a lot of discussions around that,” Brooks said. “That’s going to be an evolving process.”
Last year, Georgia did hold a spring game, but it wasn’t televised - a subtle sign that even then, the event might’ve been losing some of its traditional shine. And now, with the college football calendar getting pulled in multiple directions, the future of spring games across the country is becoming a real question mark.
Brooks pointed to several scheduling challenges that are out of the committee’s hands - things like the Army-Navy game, the dates of the CFP, and university academic calendars. All of these factors create ripple effects that complicate any attempt to reshape the offseason.
“Everybody wants to wave a magic wand and just pretend,” Brooks said, “but there’s things… when you look at the Army-Navy game, when you look at the dates of the CFP, when you look at the dates of when semesters start on campuses - those are beyond the committee’s purview.”
Brooks emphasized that while some adjustments are easy, others come with a web of unintended consequences. One example?
The timing of the transfer portal. Should it stay in January?
Should it move later? Every option brings its own set of complications.
“In every scenario you look at, there’s a bunch of consequences from that, intended and unintended,” Brooks said. “Fleshing all those out and deciding the lesser of two evils is where you wind up when you’re making tough calendar decisions.”
Traditionally, Georgia’s spring practices begin right after spring break - which would place the start date around March 17 this year. That would line up a potential G-Day for April 18, assuming the team sticks to the usual 15-practice schedule. But with Sanford Stadium hosting a major concert on April 25, featuring Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Zach Top, the window for G-Day is tight - and possibly closing.
On the field, Georgia is coming off another strong season, finishing 12-2 and capturing yet another SEC title. But the Bulldogs fell short in the College Football Playoff, losing to Ole Miss in the semifinal - a rare postseason stumble for a program that’s been the gold standard in recent years.
This spring was already going to be a critical one for Kirby Smart’s squad. Georgia has several major contributors to replace, with linebacker CJ Allen, defensive lineman Christen Miller, offensive tackle Monroe Freeling, and wide receiver Zachariah Branch all declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. Safety KJ Bolden is another name to watch as the Dawgs look to reload on both sides of the ball.
Whether or not G-Day happens this year, Georgia’s spring practices will still play a pivotal role in shaping the team’s identity heading into the fall. The Bulldogs have questions to answer, depth charts to settle, and new leaders to emerge. But as the sport continues to evolve, even long-standing traditions like the spring game aren’t immune to change.
Stay tuned - this offseason could be as eventful off the field as it is on it.