Dartmouth Big Green Open Spring Practice Cycle Wednesday for 2026 Season

Fifteen sessions. Thirty-four days. One shot to sort through the roster decisions that will shape whether the Big Green contend for a fifth Ivy League title in six years.

Dartmouth's spring practice cycle opened Wednesday at Hanover, launching the NCAA-permitted evaluation window that head coach Sammy McCorkle's staff will use to address every position battle before the calendar closes on May 9. The program posted preview video material across its social channels in the days leading up to the opener, with coaches framing the spring as an accountability stretch where competition, not seniority, determines playing time.

Three questions will define what the Big Green look like when they open the 2026 campaign at Lehigh on Sept. 19, a program coming off back-to-back Ivy League championships and a 7-3 finish in 2025 that ended with losses to Harvard and Brown in consecutive weeks.

The first and most pressing is the quarterback situation. Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery, who also handles the quarterbacks room directly, will use the full 15-session block to establish a clear pecking order among his signal-callers. The spring is the only extended on-field opportunity to do that before summer camp compresses everything. Without a confirmed starter by the time May 9 arrives, the depth chart enters fall camp unsettled at the position that most directly drives Ivy League contention.

The second decision centers on offensive line combinations. Dartmouth's staff enters spring with youth and some transfer additions competing for spots across the interior; finding two or three reliable combinations before the spring concludes gives fall camp a foundation rather than a starting point. The program's push toward its 23rd Ivy League championship title hinges in part on whether the line can hold shape game to game.

Third is defensive identity. Dartmouth's defensive front will face the most scrutiny through the spring sessions. McCorkle's staff will measure progress on the defensive line and evaluate rotation depth in the secondary, an area where the Big Green have traditionally built Ivy advantages. Associate head coach Kevin Daft, who works with the tight ends, and the defensive staff together will determine whether the returning core can anchor a unit capable of correcting the late-season inconsistencies that cost Dartmouth in November.

The athletics department has not confirmed a specific open spring game date for 2026. Reporters and beat writers will attend select sessions across the 34-day window, with the program expected to release periodic practice updates. What is confirmed: when May 9 arrives, McCorkle will have used every available repetition to decide how Dartmouth lines up for a fall that begins, fittingly, on the road.