Mizzou football to return June 8 for voluntary workouts. Here’s how that will look
Slowly and surely, Missouri football players are returning to campus in anticipation of June 8, when student-athletes are allowed to return to Columbia for voluntary workouts.
It’s the first major step toward normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since sports were shut down in mid-March, it’s been silent on the college sports front, with no games, practices or any team-related activities.
Student-athletes returning will go through a process for which the plan has already changed in the past few weeks. Initially, Mizzou said it would only test players (for COVID-19) who exhibit symptoms or who had traveled from areas with many positive cases.
However, MU reversed course, saying it will test all returning student-athletes. Those COVID-19 tests began Thursday and were set to continue Friday, Mizzou football coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. Many Mizzou players were already in Columbia when they met for a peaceful walk Wednesday ahead of their tests and workouts, a walk that ended with 62 student-athletes registering to vote.
“I’m a football coach and I always defer to 1) MU Health and 2) our administration and what our response and appropriate response will be with COVID-19,” Drinkwitz said during a Zoom call Thursday. “We’ve worked a lot with and in conjunction with our re-population plan led by (deputy athletic director) Tim Hickman and our trainer Owen Stanley.”
As part of Phase 1, football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball student-athletes will be able to conduct voluntary workouts on June 8. Then it’ll be cross country, soccer and volleyball — all fall sports — starting June 15. The winter sports, gymnastics, wrestling, and swimming and diving start up June 22. Lastly, baseball, softball, track and field, golf, and tennis are expected to return July 6.
The plan, according to Drinkwitz, is to have workout groups of 20 players each. They will be abiding by social-distancing standards staying 6 feet apart. Whenever players enter facilities, they will also have their temperatures checked. Drinkwitz stressed, with respect to the many rules of the protocol, that they will be following county and Center of Disease Control guidelines.
“Obviously this is an unknown and there’s going to be different things that come up,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ve tried to plan for every contingency. Whatever happens, we will work through it. The best thing we got going is we got MU Health 800 yards away.”
It’s unclear how many exact football players are returning because of the voluntary nature of the workouts, but they will not be differentiated between returners and newcomers. Drinkwitz — a newcomer himself as a Mizzou’s first-year coach — said incoming true freshmen are scheduled to arrive on campus Thursday and Friday as they prepare for their first steps in college.
When it comes to safety, Mizzou players have expressed their support for the process. Junior linebacker Nick Bolton pointed out that being in the facilities working out is much safer for some players compared to home, where they might not have the necessary equipment if gyms are closed.
“It’s very detailed and thought out, plans we’re going to do if someone were to get it or somebody in our facility were to get it,” Bolton said. “I personally feel safe by coming back. I feel like it’s the safest place for me. I’ll be able to work out still and be ready for the fall. But also in a safe environment.”
If there is a positive test result, Drinkwitz said they’ll follow procedures set for them, including quarantining and contact tracing. It’s a crucial time for sports as many wonder what happens if there’s even a single positive case.
At other schools, there have already been at least a few positive cases. Alabama reportedly had five student-athletes test positive. In that scenario, about 50 players met on their own and conducted a workout Wednesday before the test results came back Thursday. Arkansas State also announced seven of its student-athletes tested positive, though they were asymptomatic.
Despite some of the risks, Bolton noted that you could catch the coronavirus if you were working out at the facilities or simply interacting with the community. He also said because the process is so diligent, it adds to his overall level of safety.
“I honestly feel safe,” senior defensive end Chris Turner said. “I have complete confidence in our training staff and medical staff that they’re going to have everything prepared and good for us to come back on Monday.”
While workouts are a positive first step for Drinkwitz, it doesn’t necessarily mean hands-on coaching. During the month of June, only strength and conditioning coaches are allowed to supervise the workouts. That means the last time the players got any football coaching was March 11, their last spring football practice before it was shut down.
Drinkwitz said it’ll be difficult to pinpoint a date because of the many factors involved. The NCAA, SEC and football oversight committee all need to agree before any official moves are allowed. Drinkwitz said the general plan seems to be to see how reopening first goes, then go from there. Currently, teams are allowed eight hours of remote training per week with coaches, which has been extended through at least June 30.
While many wonder if and when a football season will be played this fall, the voluntary workouts allow there to be preparation for the upcoming season. With football being such a physical sport, getting players in shape and at peak fitness levels is crucial. Now that players are available to return, it’ll be the first step toward the sport’s return.
“If you take that game away from them, they hate it,” Drinkwitz said. “These guys love football. They haven’t been around teammates. … There’s absolutely an enthusiasm and an energy to get back and start working toward that goal of Sept. 5 playing (Central Arkansas).”