Why Georgia Tech is being more cautious in bringing football players back to campus
Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins expects his players’ involvement in non-mandatory conditioning will lead to a smoother transition when the program reopens from the COVID-19 shutdown.
The Yellow Jackets will begin the Phase I of its reopening plan June 15, opening the doors for voluntary workouts for the 20-plus athletes who live in the Atlanta area. True freshmen are not allowed to participate in Phase I.
Tech has a roster of more than 100 players.
“It may be to the outside world that it looks like we’re being very cautious and I don’t think that’s bad,” Collins said “I think the level of thought and care that went into every single decision through this for our guys and our staff is important.”
Collins said his staff has had regular contact with players throughout the pandemic and have been pleased with the way they have embraced the remote workouts.
And he said he wasn’t concerned that the Yellow Jackets will be starting a week later than other programs such as Clemson and Georgia, where players can return Monday (June 8).
“We just wanted to make sure all our processes were in place,” he said. “We had all the data that we needed to ensure that when our guys returned that we’d have the best chance to be successful and keep our guys happy and safe.”
Much of the Phase I activity will take place indoors at the Brock Football Practice Facility. The weights will be lined up on one side of the building — Collins said five additional racks are being added to make things easier — and the huge doors on both ends of the facility will be kept open to enhance air flow.
The unavailability of dorm rooms will limit the participation in Phase I to local athletes. An exception is sophomore defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjoue, who did not return to his native Belgium during the pandemic and stayed locally with senior offensive lineman Connor Hansen. It is not known how many other team members are in a similar situation.
Players will be required to make an appointment before using the school’s training facilities, must complete a daily health questionnaire and will have their temperature checked upon arrival on campus.
Groups will be limited to no more than 10 athletes and two staff members at one time, and social distancing will be required. The locker rooms will not be available, students cannot share towels or water bottles, and all equipment and facilities will be sanitized after each use.
“Implementing Phase I of our reopening plan is a positive step toward hopefully being able to start our upcoming seasons as scheduled, including the highly anticipated football season opener against Clemson,” said Georgia Tech athletics director Todd Stansbury.
The date to implement Phase II has not been set, although it is likely to be two weeks after Phase I.
The restrictions may alter the timetable from previous years, Collins said, but still allow enough time to get players ready for the rigors of football.
“There will be challenges, but the way we have our culture set up lends us to being able to be innovative and think outside the box and find the best way for our players to have success,” Collins said. “We aren’t going to be stuck in an archaic system that it has to be done this way in this time frame. The amount of reps, whatever the case may be, we are fully capable of adjusting, adapting.”