By Chris Marler
If today felt like the most lackluster slate of SEC spring football games in quite sometime, you wouldn’t be wrong. If reading that sentence marked the first time you even realized there were still spring games being played this month, don’t worry – it seems like no one else knew either.
Spring games used to mean more. It just used to be more of an event, something that people looked forward to. A day where fans could come out of the hibernation known as basketball season and start believing that their football program’s year was really gonna be this year, this time.
Not to mention it became an annual feather in the cap for bragging rights over attendance records across the SEC and places like Nebraska. Sure the team may suck, but how about 84,000 fans piling into the stadium to watch a glorified scrimmage.
There’s something beautiful about seeing a 17-14 game that showcased a bunch of current backups and future insurance agents that have a higher attendance than the Super Bowl and nearly every NFL Stadium. Those days are gone now. Coaches keep things closer to the vest and put as little film on tape for potential rival scouts to see and use for prep.
There were still a select few teams that scheduled a spring game with ten Power Four programs participating Saturday despite none being on television. Here’s what we know and learned from three spring scrimmages around the conference on Saturday.
Is it great to be a Florida Gator again?
I hate myself for gassing up the Gators this much so far away from the start of the season. Still, Florida is the hottest program in the country over the last 72 hours. The Gators started the week off by landing a commitment from five star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller. The Gators got some great news during their spring game as four star defensive back, and top 30 overall recruit, Aamaury Fountain flipped his commitment from South Carolina to the Gators.
On the field, it was more good news as there were several highlight moments during the Blue-Orange game. We talked with LockedOn Gators host Brandon Olsen on his takeaways from the game.
What if the Florida Gators are back? pic.twitter.com/n6983OLccv
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) April 11, 2026
“Neither quarterback separated themselves or wowed anyone in attendance,” said Olsen. “Both were serviceable. Most importantly was that each quarterback seemed to have a good grasp and understanding of new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s playbook. On the other side of the ball, the defense looked significantly better and improved from a down to down basis. Overall the team seemed noticeably more athletic and energetic.”
Tennessee with even more questions at quarterback
All eyes were on the quarterback competition in Knoxville. Both Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre are leading the competition this spring. However, it was Colorado transfer Ryan Staub who had the play of the day with a 73 yard touchdown pass.
Outside of that, the game was pretty boring and scripted throughout. According to Eric Cain from On3, the biggest takeaway was that the quarterback battle not only wasn’t solved, but may have left Spring with even more uncertainty.
Nice throw from Ryan Staub! #Vols 🍊 pic.twitter.com/2PkU32H4Lr
— Cam Holt Vols 🍊 (@VolFan_Cam) April 11, 2026
Alabama Offense Shines
Similar to Tennessee and several others around the league, Alabama’s biggest storyline was the quarterback position. Austin Mack led the first team offense, but it was second year signal caller Keelon Russell that stole the show. Russell finished with four touchdowns in the scrimmage, including one to freshman wideout Cederian Morgan.
Alabama didn’t post any stats from the scrimmage itself, but it’s quite clear which quarterback won the day.
#Alabama QBs after two drives each (one with 1s, one with 2s).
Keelon Russell: 11-14, 107 yards, 2 TDs
Austin Mack: 2-5, 39 yards, 1 INT— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) April 11, 2026
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