Deion Sanders, Colorado File Paperwork for Joint CFB Spring Practices with Syracuse

Days after Syracuse head coach Fran Brown answered Deion Sanders' call to find a team Colorado could hold a joint practice and scrimmage against in the spring, the two schools are in the process of trying to make it happen.

Per The Athletic's Jenna West, Colorado and Syracuse filed paperwork with the NCAA to hold a joint practice next month.

Sanders floated the idea of college football using an NFL-like model that allows teams to practice and scrimmage against each other during the offseason during a press conference on Monday:

"I would actually like to play the spring game against another team, in the spring. That's what I'm trying to do right now. I would like to style it like the pros. I'd like to go against someone [in practice] for a few days, and then you have the spring game. I think the public would be satisfied with that tremendously. I think it's a tremendous idea. I've told those personnel, who should understand that, that it's a tremendous idea."

Upon seeing Sanders' comments, Brown posted on X that Syracuse would be willing to come to Colorado for three days this spring.

West noted a ruling on the request from Colorado and Syracuse could come at the NCAA FBS oversight committee's next scheduled meeting on April 10.

Colorado's spring game is scheduled to be played at Folsom Field on Saturday, April 19.

Sanders' comments about a joint practice as part of the offseason schedule came at a time when several college programs are opting out of holding a traditional spring game or canceling it altogether.

There are at least 20 FBS programs so far that have announced they will hold either a modified spring game or won't hold one at all.

Reasons for opting out vary by program, with some citing injury risk to players and financial costs.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said he didn't want to do it anymore because of "tampering" concerns from opposing programs after the team had six players enter the transfer portal following last year's spring game.

FBS teams are allowed to hold up to 15 spring practices in a 34-day period.