Dannen said on Sports Nightly that the Husker football program would hold its final spring practice on April 26, but warned fans not to expect the usual game-like event.
"I am not going to call it a game," Dannen said. "Do not expect it to be a 'spring game' because I do not expect it to be a game. I don't know what it's going to be yet - really that's Matt (Rhule's) call."
The Huskers annually have held a Red-White scrimmage with two teams competing in a game-like format on the final day of spring practices.
However, with the changes arriving to college football with the new 105-man roster rule, Nebraska has had to trim its past roster that hovered close to 150 players down to 130 for the start of spring practices. Matt Rhule and the Huskers may have elected to opt away from the traditional Spring Game because of the numbers change. Dannen agreed with that philosophy, citing a growing national standard across college football.
Dannen did add that Nebraska fans would still be included for the final day of spring practices, but exactly what will take place has yet to be determined. One option, he said, is a "fall sports preview" where volleyball, soccer and other athletics would also take part.
"It's going to be the 26th of April, so we can at least circle the date and figure out what that looks like down the line," he said.
Injuries were a key reason for the change, according to Dannen, who cited a pair of ACL injuries suffered in last year's contest.
"I think the football staff is going to figure out exactly what they want to do over the next few weeks," he said. "Whether it's a seven-on-seven thing or whether he brings some alums back or whether he plays flag football, I don't know, but you know, a de-emphasis on the game part, the contact part."
"It's a different era from a compensation standpoint and the NIL and the investment there," Dannen said. "Transfer portal opens up right after those spring game dates. And so, I expect something that's not not going to be televised, but something that will be a celebration of our athletes. We'll get to see some some skills and see what they've got and then go from there."
