It may not be recognizable to the average fan, but college football has undergone many changes over the past 10 years. With student-athlete welfare the main issue, one of the most significant areas of change is in how spring football is conducted. Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr remembers a time not long ago when he was an assistant with the Wolverines. Scholarships were at 105 and Michigan, like other programs, used spring practice to develop and evaluate players by having full contact scrimmages at least three times a week.

Spring practice consisted of 20 practice opportunities and there were no restrictions on live contact drills. Michigan took full advantage of these rules. Tuesdays were for goal line and short yardage scrimmages, passing scrimmages were held on Thursdays and Saturdays were reserved for full team scrimmages matching the offense vs. the defense in game situations. Few coaches would argue that despite the normal risk of injuries, players learned the game correctly and individual skills and techniques were developed.

There obviously is no substitute for full speed practice situations that simulate the actual game. This spring, college coaches across the country once again are on the practice field, but the approach is much different than it was 10 years ago.

In recent years, the NCAA has reduced the number of actual practice opportunities to 15 and placed restrictions on the amount of full contact and scrimmage time. This, combined with the reduction in scholarships to 85, has dramatically changed spring football

With everything, however, there is a tradeoff. All coaches realize the biggest plus is that there has been a reduction in the number of injuries. The negative is that the development of players' fundamentals has diminished because of restricted practice time and scrimmage opportunity.

The emphasis in the spring is still on toughness, fundamentals and player evaluations but the coaches have been forced to adapt. Penn State's Joe Paterno echoes most coaches' sentiments when he says "I am comfortable with the new rules, but we cannot cut back anymore. If we do, we might as well eliminate coaching all together. The game will simply be about recruiting."

The current rules
College programs are now allowed to have 15 days of actual spring practice. Three of those days are totally restricted with no contact allowed. On these days, the players can only wear headgear. The remaining 12 days - in which players are allowed to wear full equipment -- are divided as to the amount of actual contact allowed. In four of the days, tackling is totally prohibited. In five of the days, live contact is only allowed for 50 percent of the practice and on only three of the days are teams allowed to have 11-on-11 scrimmages, including the spring game. The bottom line is that you have only three actual days of live scrimmage opportunity.

Thud speed
Obviously this has forced coaches to become creative and adapt. Coaches try to simulate actual game conditions without having full speed contact. Carr says his No. 1 priority in the spring is to teach his players how to practice. By that, Carr means he teaches his players how to go full speed and simulate game conditions without full speed contact and tackling being involved. The priority is players staying off the ground and drills are conducted at "thud" speed. Players must learn to work together to give each other good looks but also protect each other. College programs now follow the lead of professional football teams, which have used this method of practice for years.

Why the change?
Obviously the biggest reason for the restrictions in spring practice is because of the injury rate. With 85 scholarship players and the fact you are minus a freshman class, the lack of numbers in the spring is a problem. There was a strong force led by doctors and trainers within the NCAA to eliminate spring football altogether. Rates of injury in spring practice were dramatically higher than inseason injury rates. Grant Teaff, who has done a tremendous job as president of the American Football Coaches Association, helped develop the new compromised spring schedule. Student-athlete welfare is the No. 1 priority of coaches and spring practice injury rates have steadily decreased over the last five years. The new rules have forced coaches to become more creative and also be extremely organized in their practice approach. There is no time to waste with the limited practice opportunities.

When to start
Spring practice must be completed over a period of 29 days, omitting spring break. There are different philosophies on how early or late to start spring practice. Texas, for example, has already concluded its spring drills and had its spring game on March 29. The majority of schools, however, particularly in the East and Midwest, don't even start spring football until late March or early April.

Weather obviously plays a role in their decision, but there are other factors as well. Many staffs like to utilize the six-week period after the national signing date to research and develop their program before entering spring football. It also helps to start later if you have had coaching changes on the staff. This allows for transition and adjustment time for new staff members. There obviously is one negative to starting late - rehabilitations time for players that may get injured in the spring is reduced before the start of the season.

Weekly spring schedule

Illinois' spring schedule

Mon., 3-17: Practice 1 Wed., 3-19: Practice 2 Thur., 3-20: Practice 3 Sat., 3-22 - Sun., 3-30: Spring break Tues., 4-1: Practice 4 Thur., 4-3: Practice 5 (IHSFCA Clinic) Fri., 4-4: Practice 6 (IHSFCA Clinic) Sat., 4-5: Practice 7 (IHSFCA Clinic) Mon., 4-7: Practice 8 Wed., 4-9: Practice 9 Thur., 4-10: Practice 10 Sat., 4-12: Practice 11 Mon., 4-14: Practice 12 Wed., 4-16: Practice 13 Thur., 4-17: Practice 14 Sat., 4-15: Practice 15 (Spring game)

With 29 days to get in 15 actual practices, most schools practice four or five times a week over the course of the allotted time. Practice is limited to 4 hours a day and a total of 20 hours per week. This includes meeting time as well. In the spring, most teams spend more time on the field than they do meeting because there is no specific game plan to study.

What you try to accomplish
If you talk to most college football coaches, they will tell you spring practice is the best time of the year. You can focus on your team and your players without worrying about a game plan or an opponent's scheme. With the limited time, there is not much time to experiment with ideas or concepts you may not use in the fall. Most coaches spend the high percentage of time in individual technique, toughness and player evaluation. For your freshman, many of who were on the scout team the previous fall, this is their first opportunity to be coached. You must form a foundation of fundamentals that the players and team can build on in the fall. Most of the time in the spring, the offense goes against the defense. Because of that, coaches limit the schemes that each side of the ball can use so you don't trick each other. You want to come out of the spring feeling good about yourself and players feel good if their individual techniques have improved. There is plenty of time in the fall for scheme development. Obviously, it is more difficult for new staffs in their first spring at a particular program. In this case, you must focus on implementing your scheme.

Other spring happenings
Spring clinics normally take place on college campuses in conjunction with spring football. This gives high school coaches the opportunity to visit with college staffs and develop new ideas while watching teams practice. High school coaches will normally spend two days on your campus and attend lectures and on-the-field demonstrations. This also serves as a valuable public relations tool and gives coaches an opportunity to get a head start on recruiting

Conclusion
Even though spring practice has been reduced, it is still a necessary and valuable part of college football. Coaches and players focus on technique and player improvement without worrying about preparing specific game plans. It is particularly valuable for young players in the program. It gives new players an opportunity to compete for positions. Coaches have adapted to the new rules and it has forced them to become even more creative and focused in how they plan their practices.

Editor's note: As architect of top defenses at Texas A&M and Notre Dame, Bob Davie is recognized as a top X's and O's coach. His Football 101 broke down offensive and defensive schemes last year on ESPN.com. This spring, this will go inside spring football each week explaining how teams use the spring to prepare for the fall.