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As the Kentucky Wildcats prepare for Week 1, they’ve had to overcome some coronavirus issues recently.
During his Monday call-in show, head coach Mark Stoops revealed that a position group on the team was recently hit by the virus.
“Nothing we can’t handle, but we’re getting hit with one position group,” Stoops said. “It is under control. We can certainly play a game if we had to tomorrow as far as our numbers go and things of that nature.”
Stoops didn’t divulge as to which group it was or how many players have been affected, though he did mention the defensive back group was getting a bit thin. Thankfully, that’s also one of, if not the deepest position group on the roster.
“We’re getting thin there,” Stoops said of Kentucky’s DBs. “I gotta be careful. I don’t know what I can say and cannot say. We need all hands on deck but we got some options there. We have some versatile guys.
“What I love about those guys is some of those guys can play corner. It also really helps us in our nickel and dime situations. You can never have enough defensive backs. They’re all contributing right now, and they all have some work to do, but we do feel like we have some depth there.”
With less than two weeks until Kentucky’s matchup with Auburn, any player that catches the virus from here on out would probably miss Week 1. Player who contract it typically go into quarantine for two weeks, but it can end up being longer depending on how serious the virus is affecting said players.
Speaking of Auburn, it was revealed over the weekend that the Tigers had their own issues with the virus, including five starters being sidelined.
Due to the high-contact nature of the sport, it’s always a challenge just getting through a season without being decimated by injuries. The coronavirus factor will make that even more challenging.
However, this is one of Kentucky’s deepest rosters in recent memory, and it may end up being the best-equipped team Stoops has had in Lexington to overcome injuries and the virus.