How much time colleges need to safely prepare for a season

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Illinois head strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez started to discuss a question with his staff Friday that’s quietly simmered on the college football backburner amid the COVID-19 outbreak: “What do we think would be the minimum amount of time to get our guys back?” Penn State head coach James Franklin began initial conversations on that subject earlier this week. Many other coaches nationally have raised the same issue.

“You’re talking about the health and wellness of student athletes,” Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich said last week. “You can’t just show up at training camp and feel like you’re going to get 25 practices in and feel like your guys are prepared to not only put on a good football game but also safety wise.”

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Thus, the question turns to just how much time a program would need to get its athletes ready. For perspective, here’s an example of how Illinois’ offseason usually flows:

Spring football: General conditioning workouts, much like athletes can practice at home.

Vacation: A multi-week break between the end of spring football and the start of the first summer semester

June: General fitness and conditioning to build up cardio-respiratory system

July: Football-related activities, speed and explosiveness work

August: Full-on football practices in fall camp

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