Alabama was originally scheduled to begin its spring practice on March 13. Now, four months later, the Crimson Tide will finally hold its first mandatory workouts of the year Tuesday in hopeful preparation for the 2020 season.
Alabama is expected to have the majority of its team on hand for the workouts. However, there are also expected to be a few notable absences as some players have tested positive for COVID-19 while others have chosen not to participate due to concerns over the virus.
Monday marked the second phase of the NCAA’s approved summer practice schedule which will now allow teams eight hours per week of mandatory conditioning, weight training and film review through July 23.
Things kick up a gear after that as teams are allowed to conduct up to 20 hours of athletic activities per week from July 24 until Aug. 6. During that period, teams can practice up to four hours a day and are permitted to work up to eight hours per week on conditioning and weight training, up to six hours per week on walk-throughs and six hours per week on meetings.
From there, the typical preseason schedule is set to ensue as fall camp will begin on Aug. 7 with teams allowed up to 25 practices before the start of the season.
Alabama was set to open its season against Southern California on Sept. 5 in Arlington, Texas but has since seen that game canceled as the Pac-12 moved to a conference-only schedule last week. Earlier last week, the Big Ten also elected to move to a conference-only schedule. The ACC is expected to follow suit with a similar decision.
Monday, SEC athletic directors met at the conference offices in Birmingham in what was their first in-person meeting since the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in Nashville in March.
During the meeting, the athletic directors heard a report from members of the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force and discussed issues relevant to the current pre-season calendar and the approaching fall seasons of competition, including an update on current COVID-19 testing procedures. Among the topics discussed were possible scheduling options for holding athletic competition in the fall of 2020.
“It is clear that current circumstances related to COVID-19 must improve and we will continue to closely monitor developments around the virus on a daily basis,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release issued by the conference. “In the coming weeks, we will continue to meet regularly with campus leaders via videoconferences and gather relevant information while guided by medical advisors. We believe that late July will provide the best clarity for making the important decisions ahead of us.”
