Miami Hurricanes update scenarios being considered for football season and spring concern
The Miami Hurricanes have decided to move ahead with mandatory football workouts beginning Monday, the first day they will be permitted nationally. But shifting to a spring college football season or playing only games within the Atlantic Coast Conference remain possibilities, the school’s athletic director said Wednesday.
Blake James, appearing on WQAM’s Joe Rose Show, said he expects the Power 5 conferences ultimately will make a collective decision about whether to start the season on time, delay the season or move it to the spring.
“We’re getting to that point where we are going to have to make some decisions in the coming weeks that will shape what the fall sports landscape will look like,” James said.
COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically in recent weeks, particularly in Florida, and “when you look at what has happened during the past few weeks, it definitely gives you a much more concerning look than where we were in June, when it appeared progress was made,” James said.
“Obviously, this spike creates a lot of challenges. The spike in COVID has really picked up across the country. Collectively, in the conversations I’ve had with a lot of my colleagues, there is a real concern. But the positive is September is still a ways off. There’s a lot of time in between and a lot of things we can do to slow that spike. Hopefully we can start right at the beginning of September as scheduled.”
James said the option of moving the season to the spring — a plan that the Ivy League was expected to approve and announce late Wednesday afternoon — has been on the ACC’s list of considerations since March but comes with challenges. Among them: the belief that some players, particularly top NFL prospects, would opt out of playing.
“If it moves to a spring season, the likelihood [draft-eligible players] would take advantage of that opportunity [to play] becomes smaller,” James said. “Some guys would decide their focus is going on to the next level. What is the impact of that on the 100 other guys on the team? That’s part of the conversation. If we decide spring makes the most sense, I’m sure that’s the direction we will go.”
But of a spring season, James cautioned, “I’m not sure there’s a lot of people that believe that’s the right spot to be right now. And... what’s the carryover to future seasons? There’s a lot of different ways this can play out.”
James said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if UM ultimately plays only ACC games, but that remains undecided.
Miami’s first three opponents — Temple, Wagner and UAB — have declined to publicly address whether they will share testing protocols and results with UM before their games, despite repeated inquiries from the Miami Herald. Miami also plays at Michigan State to complete its out-of-conference slate, with all four games scheduled for September.
James wants to ensure “the team we’re putting on the field has gone through the same safety precautions as the team we’re lining up with has gone through. There can be some challenges in getting everyone to a certain agreement. That’s what we’re working on as a conference. Hopefully, we get to that point where it allows us to feel comfortable enough to take our team and put it on the field against another ACC opponent or even an opponent out of conference.”
James said UM players, on average, are tested “every few weeks. Some more often.”
Asked by WQAM’s Zach Krantz why UM isn’t releasing the number of athletes who test positive for COVID-19, James said: “We felt it wasn’t something that was productive or helpful to be putting all sorts of different numbers out there because a lot of times it gets more confusing.”
University presidents and athletic directors are eager to play football this season because the revenue generated by the sport helps finance the low-revenue sports.
But even if the season is played, “this fall is going to be a financial hit for everyone,” James said, because COVID-19 is likely to prevent teams from playing in front of full capacity crowds.
Here’s my Tuesday night piece with lots of nuggets from co-defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda.
Here’s my Monday piece with UM recruiting news.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 11:51 AM.
