Clemson football players will soon be returning to campus
It was announced Tuesday that Clemson football players, in addition to men’s and women’s basketball, would be able to return to campus in early June.
Tigernet reported that Clemson football and basketball players would be allowed to return to campus as early as June 1st. They’ll have to undergo a seven-day period of social and physical distancing (seven days at home prior and then seven days in Clemson).
Once the period is completed, they’ll be given a COVID-19 test and an antibodies test. The student-athletes will be screened daily before entering the facilities, according to a release from ClemsonTigers.com. Should they come back on June 1st, they can begin voluntary workouts as early as June 8th.
Clemson Athletics is following a phased approach and this is known as Phase 1. Phase 2 and Phase 3 each integrate student-athletes with program staff and make adjustments to capacities and group settings, as well as facility access, according to the release.
The next step for Clemson football
This is a major win for those wanting to see Clemson football played this season. The Tigers will be able to report back on campus as early as next week and will be able to resume their offseason workouts– albeit with a few changes as they social distance- on June 8th.
This gives the Tigers plenty of time to get back into football shape and to prepare for fall camp.
The next step for the Clemson Athletic Department will have to sift through the logistics of playing games in the fall. A lot of this will depend on the NCAA and ACC, but the department has already said that it is moving forward and preparing to play a season.
If that is the case, Dan Radakovich has likely already begun mulling over ideas on what a limited-capacity crowd will look like and how to best go about tickets and promoting social distancing with thousands of people still on campus.
There are more questions than answers at this point, but the next step is pretty clear: Get student-athletes safely back on campus and allow them to begin their preseason training. The Tigers will continue to go through their phased approach over the course of this summer.
From there, we’ll have to see what happens.