Update on UK’s plan for bringing back football players to campus

Last week, the NCAA and SEC both announced the athletes can return to their respective campuses beginning June 8th. However, schools will still get to decide how soon they want to re-open their campuses and bring back their athletes.

Now, KSR’s Matt Jones reports that UK is building a plan to allow athletes back on campus, starting with the football team, which will be a process that could start as early as June 8th. It will involve several stages of bringing groups of players back to campus with the hope everyone is back in Lexington when fall camp begins.

Here is an excerpt of the report:

The first stage will involve the 30-40 players who already are in Kentucky, either because they live here or never left during the Quarantine. They will be brought back when the facility is allowed to be open. The assumption is that will be June 8, although that decision has not been finalized by the University. They will be tested by the University for all potential medical issues and if cleared, can begin workouts with the staff.

For the rest of the team, their return to Lexington will be in stages. Each week, another group will be brought back (somewhere between 10-20), tested for the virus and then after a period of time, integrated with the rest of the team. This will continue throughout June, with players brought back every 5-7 days. The players with any potential pre-existing conditions or issues will be the last to return. By the time Fall camp starts, the hope is that the entire team will be present.

This sounds like a great plan by the school to ensure everyone comes back to Kentucky in as safe of a manner as possible. This is easily one of the best methods of ensuring everyone is tested and there isn’t a breakout of the COVID-19 virus on campus, even if it does take a little longer for the whole team to get back together.

Be sure to read the entire report, which includes an update on potential stadium capacity this fall in college football.