Obviously we’re in an unprecedented time with the mass cancellation of sports. They’re small potatoes in the overall consciousness of health and social responsibility, but if we allow ourselves to be a bit selfish and think about how this could impact college football, and specifically Tennessee's 2020 team, here are some unanswerable hard questions/concerns.
With it being spring break, most everyone on the team was leaving campus anyways — either going home, to the beach, etc. But what happens next week?
Now that campus will be closed coming out of the holidays, how many players return to school even though all team activities and athletic facilities are shuttered for the foreseeable future? Most believe that the SEC's April 15 date for all activities is optimistic.
One would surmise that those who are rehabbing injuries and have medical needs would still have access to the training room, but that’s unclear as of now.
What about food and weight training? Tennessee has spent a long offseason changing many players’ bodies with strict workouts and nutrition programs. Jeremy Pruitt himself praised Craig Fitzgerald for sticking around and noted how important continuity in Year 3 had been for his team. How do the Vols avoid losing that momentum?
It’s going to take a lot of personal responsibility for players back home to both eat right and continuing training. Fitzgerald will no doubt have a very specific outline for the team, but it’s going to take real vigilance — especially from guys like Darnell Wright, Elijah Simmons and others — to follow the plan.
But again, how many players will get the green light to stay on campus because their families cannot afford to pay for food or maintain a healthy diet? Where will they train if the facilities are completely closed?
There’s been plenty of interesting comments by ADs in the last two days, but I thought UF’s Scott Stricklin raised an excellent point:
“There’s a mental health component to this,” Stricklin said Friday.
“Players invest a lot of time and effort and energy in being in a position to compete against the very best and have a chance to be successful. Through no fault of their own, no fault of any of us, that’s been taken from them.
"The psychology of an athlete is always working toward something. They woke up this morning and there was nothing to work toward. That’s a hard thing to process.”
Stricklin was speaking in broad teams about “players” of all sports, including those whose seasons ended abruptly, but for football, they (HOPEFULLY) have a season upcoming. But everything is in limbo right now, and so much about the offseason is motivation for the future.
Losing too much momentum when players are mostly having to fend for themselves will be a big challenge — for everyone.
The QB derby, what happens at TE, ILB and OLB, etc., will all be answered when the Vols ultimately return to the field, but in the meantime, coaches/teams are grappling with how not to lose the established team chemistry, player development, etc.
Just some food for thought.
With it being spring break, most everyone on the team was leaving campus anyways — either going home, to the beach, etc. But what happens next week?
Now that campus will be closed coming out of the holidays, how many players return to school even though all team activities and athletic facilities are shuttered for the foreseeable future? Most believe that the SEC's April 15 date for all activities is optimistic.
One would surmise that those who are rehabbing injuries and have medical needs would still have access to the training room, but that’s unclear as of now.
What about food and weight training? Tennessee has spent a long offseason changing many players’ bodies with strict workouts and nutrition programs. Jeremy Pruitt himself praised Craig Fitzgerald for sticking around and noted how important continuity in Year 3 had been for his team. How do the Vols avoid losing that momentum?
It’s going to take a lot of personal responsibility for players back home to both eat right and continuing training. Fitzgerald will no doubt have a very specific outline for the team, but it’s going to take real vigilance — especially from guys like Darnell Wright, Elijah Simmons and others — to follow the plan.
But again, how many players will get the green light to stay on campus because their families cannot afford to pay for food or maintain a healthy diet? Where will they train if the facilities are completely closed?
There’s been plenty of interesting comments by ADs in the last two days, but I thought UF’s Scott Stricklin raised an excellent point:
“There’s a mental health component to this,” Stricklin said Friday.
“Players invest a lot of time and effort and energy in being in a position to compete against the very best and have a chance to be successful. Through no fault of their own, no fault of any of us, that’s been taken from them.
"The psychology of an athlete is always working toward something. They woke up this morning and there was nothing to work toward. That’s a hard thing to process.”
Stricklin was speaking in broad teams about “players” of all sports, including those whose seasons ended abruptly, but for football, they (HOPEFULLY) have a season upcoming. But everything is in limbo right now, and so much about the offseason is motivation for the future.
Losing too much momentum when players are mostly having to fend for themselves will be a big challenge — for everyone.
The QB derby, what happens at TE, ILB and OLB, etc., will all be answered when the Vols ultimately return to the field, but in the meantime, coaches/teams are grappling with how not to lose the established team chemistry, player development, etc.
Just some food for thought.
