ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart could have direct supervision over the Bulldogs and begin working with the players on July 13, per a Yahoo Sports report.
The NCAA Football Oversight Committee, which earlier this week introduced a 4-phase plan outlining the return to padded practice in August, passed the recommendation according to unidentified sources cited by Pete Thamel:
“The committee’s recommendation still needs to be approved by the NCAA Division I Council, but that step is expected to be a formality. The NCAA Division I Council meets next week and will vote on this on June 17.”
Per the 4-phase plan released earlier this week, the players will be in “required summer activities” from July 13-23. That will include eight hours of weight training conditioning and film review per week.
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Football activity, which includes use of a ball, is Phase-3 and is scheduled for July 24-Aug. 6.
Phase-3 allows for 20-hour work weeks and was added to help ensure the players are physically prepared for the more typical preseason drills that take place in August.
SEC schools began Phase 1 — voluntary workouts — on June 8.
Coaches are allowed 8 hours of virtual meetings per week with the players but no in-person supervision.
The football staff is not allowed to supervise or monitor results of players’ voluntary workouts.
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Autonomy 5 conference commissioners have been talking regularly since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports on March 12.
Safety measures and precautions designed to protect the student-athletes have been applied at each turn.
Still, many questions remain about the upcoming season.
Fan attendance could vary from one state to another, depending on the respective COVID-19 distancing stipulations in place.
Georgia released tentative stadium operations and seating plans on Tuesday (June 9). UGA applied three models including one involving limited seating and a possible ban on tailgating.
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