More and more college football programs are doing away with the annual spring game. An injury to Texas A&M star Daymion Sanford casts even greater doubt on the future of the exhibition showcase.
He might be out for the season…
This fuels a forever ongoing debate in the world of college football. Are spring games worth the risk?
Texas A&M linebacker Daymion Sanford suffered a catastrophic injury.
Texas A&M is coming off of a historic college football season. The Aggies made the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history behind a dominant defense led by veteran middle linebacker Taurean York.
However, York has since declared for the NFL Draft. His departure left Daymion Sanford as the most reliable, versatile and dominant linebacker on the roster for 2026.
Sanfordmade 57 total tackles last season (25 solo) with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception at 6-foot-2, 222 pounds. He was all over the field and consistently made plays in crucial moments.
With York off to the league, Sanford was expected to slide over to the middle and take over the green dot. That is now up in the air.
Sanford had to be carted off to the locker room after an awkward collision during the spring game at Kyle Field on Saturday. He led the Maroon Team with four tackles and one QB hurry before he went down in pain.
Here is a look at Texas A&M LB Daymion Sanford getting carted off the field. Air splint was on his lower left leg. Was able to get helped onto the cart, but rode it off.
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) April 18, 2026
Sanford had a Maroon Team-high 4 tackles and one QB hurry.
Ended up calling halftime early after the… pic.twitter.com/5TP6GkQWHA
An official diagnosis has yet to be announced but it looked like a broken ankle or a break in his lower leg. His foot turned the wrong way.
Could've just been the angle, looks more like a broken ankle but would have to wait on confirmation after the game.
— Parker Rehm (@parker_rehm) April 18, 2026
Awful situation, really feel for Sanford who's stuck around in Aggieland the past three seasons. https://t.co/cT9rQms809 pic.twitter.com/t4AY9yYSOx
Our thoughts and prayers are with Sanford. We wish him a speedy recovery and fast return to the field. However, the initial injury did not look good. It could keep him out for an extended period of time.
Will college football do away with the spring game?
Whether you like it or not, this kind of injury always reignites the debate about spring games. A large number of college football programs got rid of the exhibition intrasquad scrimmage in the last few years.
Will that trend continue (or increase) after an incident like the one in College Station on Saturday?
One side of the debate thinks it is time to do away with spring games. They put the players at risk of an injury for no reason. The scrimmages are not necessary. Players do not need to go full speed at each other in a game-like setting that primarily serves the fans who choose to attend.
The other side of the debate questions how this is any different than practice. These same players are going full speed at various points throughout the entire spring period, they just aren’t doing so in front of fans. Tackles are still being made. How is this any different than a scrimmage behind closed doors?
I can see both sides…
Practice is practice is practice. Freak injuries happen. Daymion Sanford did not only get hurt because this was a spring game. He got hurt because he fell awkwardly under a pile, which could also happen during practice.
However, the spring game is treated like a real game and, statistically speaking, an injury is approximately six times more likely to occur during a game than in practice. That’s just data. Guys are playing like they would on a Saturday. Practice is not quite the same.
In that case, would it be more beneficial to a college football program to be fully healthy and to avoid an injury like the one to Sanford? Or does the spring game provide enough value to make it worth the risk?
Let me know your thoughts at Grayson@brobible.com!