South Carolina coach Will Muschamp updates team’s COVID-19, injury situation
South Carolina’s football team has two active COVID-19 cases, according to coach Will Muschamp.
Muschamp gave the update during his weekly call-in show with Todd Ellis on Thursday night. He said USC has another nine players out because of contact tracing
“We are in a good spot,” Muschamp said. “Most of (the contract tracing) is rooming together. Our guys have done a good job of wearing a mask and social distancing. It’s mostly a roommate situation. Right now, any type of COVID case you have is a 10-day quarantine, any contact tracing.”
Muschamp said the players who are contact tracing have to sit out 10 days because of rules in the state. In other states, some players might have to sit out longer.
Muschamp hopes the Southeastern Conference would have a more uniform policy throughout the league.
“We got to get on the same page,” Muschamp said.
The Gamecocks’ situation is a little better than Tennessee, its first opponent. Volunteers coach Jeremy Pruitt told reporters on Saturday his team couldn’t scrimmage as scheduled after 44 players were sidelined, seven or eight by the virus, a few by injuries and many more by COVID contact tracing.
Pruitt said the team only had 30 available offensive players.
In addition to COVID-19 issues, Muschamp said freshman offensive lineman Trai Jones will have ankle surgery after getting injured in Saturday’s scrimmage. No timetable was given for Jones’ return.
Jones was a standout at Abbeville High School and No. 9 prospect in South Carolina, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Muschamp also said linebacker Jahmar Brown has missed time with a sprained knee.
South Carolina will have a walk-through on Friday and then have its third scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday beginning at noon. USC opens the season Sept. 26 at home against Tennessee.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 7:25 PM.
