The unknown Gamecock football was facing in July, and the answers it just got
When South Carolina’s players returned to campus early last week, it started what seemed like a path back to the normalcy of a college football season.
But it still left Will Muschamp and other coaches, a group known for planning to the extreme, with a blank road map ahead.
He pointed out that his Gamecocks would get most of June working with the strength staff, recovering from nearly three months away from supervised conditioning. But at the time, the morning of June 8, he didn’t even know when players could get together and work out with a ball present.
“All of June is just for our strength and conditioning staff,” Muschamp said. “The only time we can meet with our players are on virtual Zoom calls. We’ve continued to work our installation, continue to work through some topics with our football team. There is not a July calendar set by the NCAA of when we are going to meet with our players.”
Hours later, a draft of a plan for July leaked out to Sports Illustrated and other outlets. That plan passed the NCAA oversight committee Wednesday.
Teams can return to a more normal offseason schedule of eight hours of conditioning and film review as soon as July 6, though South Carolina would start that on July 13, or 25 days before practice officially starts.
Then 12 days later, July 24, the Gamecocks will be able to have an hour per day of walk-throughs and an hour a day of meetings, plus the eight total hours a week of conditioning and film. That would help some teams that missed out on most or all of spring. (USC got in five of 15 practices.)
Even before that news broke, Muschamp said the conference had been keeping coaches up to speed on all of the potentialities.
“You’re planning for everything,” Muschamp said. “There are different models out there that the football oversight committee is going through.
“Commissioner (Greg) Sankey and (associate commissioner) William King have done a good job of keeping the coaches involved in those conversations. Every Thursday, we have a meeting and talk through those models.”
This time of year is usually one where players get in work together, with seniors calling together informal practices or even just throwing sessions. With the plans to have players cluster to avoid spread if someone contracted COVID-19, that raised some questions about how even small-group player practices could proceed.
At least one player posted social media videos of them working out in the indoor facility with teammates, so it seems at least some work was allowed. Muschamp said those player-run practices have been part of the sport for at least the two decades he has been coaching.
“That’s a huge building point for your football team in the offseason,” Muschamp said. “I understand that our guys have been off, and I understand the concerns about them moving back too quickly with this, or the situation with the virus. I understand that. More than likely our guys will find somewhere to go throw. And I’d rather them do it in our facility.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 5:38 AM.
