Syracuse Starts Spring Football Practice despite Coronavirus
Syracuse Orange football team has begun preparations for Spring Football competitions despite countrywide worries over Coronavirus.
The team held its first practice session on March 8. Players didn’t have patches in readiness for the Spring atmosphere. What’s more, the team was welcoming its new defensive and offensive coordinators for the first time.
Slow Start but Excited
“Yes, I’m excited, Coach Babers said of the new preparations. “I lost my voice a little bit. I’ve got to slow down so I can keep it the entire 15 days.”
Babers was full of after the first session, saying the young men did “a really good job.”
“I thought the young men came out here and did a really good job for opening day,” Babers said.
The coach applauded his team’s eagerness at the new season, saying they showed it on the field. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Babers Introduces New Coordinators
Babers also introduced his new hires: Sterlin Gilbert as the new offensive coordinator and Tony White as a defensive coordinator. Gilbert previously worked for McNeese State, whereas his defensive partner is an ex-Arizona State CB coach.
In truth, the two men have been working under Babers since the start of this year. However, it’s only now that they’ve publicly appeared to spearhead Syracuse back to being a Bowl team.
Stadium Problems
After falling 5-7 last season, SU is determined to record a winning record next season. However, it’s already begun to hit hurdles along the way.
First off, the University football stadium is under construction. As a result, the team will have to board a bus regularly to practice at different locations.
“They’re going to put us on a bus, and we’re going to drive somewhere,” Babers explained the situation.
“We’re going to get out, and we’re going to have our 15th practice, then we’ll get back on the bus, go home and then start recruiting again,” Babers added.
The Coronavirus Menace
As Syracuse prepares for Spring football, the University leadership is taking drastic measures to combat Coronavirus. For starters, they have plans to suspend on-campus classes for the rest of March if the virus hits Onondaga County.
On the other end, SU has already suspended abroad programs traditionally held in Madrid and Italy. What’s more, the university has also canceled domestic spring break programs, adding that it’s monitoring the pandemic daily.
“We monitor the situation daily and consult with the appropriate university and leadership in the ACC and the schools we are competing against,” Mike Haynie, head of Strategic Initiatives at SU, told reporters last week.
NCAA Ready to Make a Decision
To silence rumors that it has been silent during the ongoing pandemic, the NCAA recently told reporters it’s preparing to make a decision based on “health guidelines
“We will make decisions on our events based on the best, most current public health guidance available,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement.
In the meanwhile, it’s up to schools to decide how they want to conduct events during regular play.
“NCAA member schools and conferences make their own decisions regarding regular season and conference tournament play,” Mark Emmert clarified in his statement.