SALT LAKE CITY — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said the NCAA opted for the responsible thing to do in shutting everything down because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
“The health and the safety of the country is paramount and trumps anything that is going on in the sports world,” he said. “And so, I don’t know that there was any other alternative.”
Whittingham addressed a variety of related topics impacting the Utes via conference call on Monday.
SPRING BALL: The Utes were able to get in three of 15 scheduled practices before the shutdown. Whittingham isn’t overly optimistic they’ll eventually pick up where they left off this year.
“I think spring ball is probably out the window. I think there’s very little, if any, chance of that happening at least in the normal prescribed spring ball window,” said Whittingham, who added that the NCAA and Pac-12 may end up modifying the summer structure or fall camp based on the loss of spring ball.
However, Whittingham noted that a small percentage of schools did get all their practices in and a handful were able to get half or more sessions completed. Most, he explained, are in the same boat as Utah.
“So I think there’s going to be a lot of discussion on how to handle it to make it equitable — and, in fact, come May or June or July we have an option to do that,” Whittingham said. “This is all to be determined and very fluid right now.”
The Utes, he continued, are doing the best they can.
CLASSROOM CHANGES: Utah students are taking all of their classes this semester online. Campus buildings, including all athletic facilities, are closed until further notice.
“Right now our focus, with our players, is academics — making sure they’re adjusting to this online routine and being punctual with their tutor appointments, remote tutor appointments and that type of thing,” Whittingham said. “So just get them indoctrinated, getting them indoctrinated to the new academic setup and then, like I said, the other part will come later.
“Spring football is very unimportant in the grand scheme of things as far as what’s going on in the world,” Whittingham said. “But when they have a plan, when we have a little more clarity on what’s going to transpire in the summer and even the fall, then we’ll come up with a plan of attack to make sure we maximize that.”
CONDITIONING CHALLENGES: Utah student-athletes are working out on their own with the campus facilities closed. Whittingham said that more than 90% of the football players are back home with their families during the pandemic.
“We’ve sent them workout plans and what they’re supposed to be doing. Now that’s relative as well because not everybody has access to a gym. A vast majority of gyms are closed down and it’s tough right now for a lot of those kids to find a place to work out,” Whittingham explained. “So they’re not all on equal footing in that regard where they have access to the same stuff.”
WHAT IF?: Is there any fear the 2020 football season could be postponed or even canceled?
“Well, I’m sure there’s that possibility but right now things are changing daily and we’re just trying to keep up with what’s going on in the moment,” Whittingham said. “But I think there’s absolutely that possibility as much as I hate to say it and our charge right now as a department, as a football staff, is just doing our part to follow the guidelines, the social distancing, that type of thing. But yet still try to maximize what we can do with our players and for our players.”
MISSING OUT: Losing the remainder of spring ball would be an obvious setback for a squad seeking nine new starters on defense, as well as a new starting quarterback, running back and left tackle on offense.
“I can tell you for certain that the group last year was much more developed and senior-laden. Really, if you had to choose, you would rather have last year’s group go without spring ball,” said Whittingham, who noted that a lot of the 2020 squad could have used all 15 spring practices and weight room time for development. “So it’s definitely going to impact us.”
BAD TIMING: The Utes were on spring break when the Pac-12 and NCAA decided to postpone athletic gatherings. Whittingham acknowledged the timing was frustrating because the program was on break and thus did not have the opportunity to have a team meeting and explain what was going on to the players and share a course of action.
It became an extended spring break and then the university opted for online courses, meaning several of the players never came back to town.
“We missed out on having a chance to have a reset meeting I guess you could say,” Whittingham said. “The onus right now is really on each of the position coaches to stay in daily contact with their group.”
Responsibilities include staying on top of academics and making sure that virtual teach tapes are being sent out. They include install meetings where the players can watch and continue to be exposed to the schemes on both offense and defense.
“Just trying to think of anything we can to continue to help them progress,” Whittingham said.
The toughest part, he added, is things change pretty quickly so you can’t have a hard and fast, absolute plan going into fall because there are just so many unknowns right now.
“We missed out on having a chance to have a reset meeting I guess you could say. The onus right now is really on each of the position coaches to stay in daily contact with their group.” — Kyle Whittingham
VIRTUAL TEACHING: The video presentations put together by the coaches for the players are appreciated by Whittingham.
The players have been receptive to it.
“It’s certainly not a replacement for them being here and being able to practice and all that, but it’s the best we can do right now and the situation we’re in,” Whittingham noted.
PRO DAY: This week’s scheduled pro day on campus has been suspended. The highly anticipated event was expected to draw a lot of NFL attention considering the Utes had eight players invited to the scouting combine.
“There’s a chance, depending on how things go, there could be a pro day mid-to-late April. That will be impacted on what the NFL decides to do,” said Whittingham, who explained that if next month’s draft is pushed back a week or two it would give the Utes time to structure something for a pro day.
NFL personnel could make the trip to Utah, or things could be taped and sent to them.
“There’s a lot of different ways it could go and it could not happen at all depending on how the virus spreads or doesn’t spread,” said Whittingham, who reiterated that there are still too many unknowns to really say anything for certain.
“Ideally, we would love our guys to be able to have a chance to have a pro day here and show their stuff because we’ve got a really good group of guys,” said Whittingham, who is hopeful they’ll get a fair chance and an opportunity to show what they can do.
QUARTERBACK BATTLE: Spring camp opened with Jake Bentley, Cam Rising and Drew Lisk competing for the starting quarterback job. The disruption hasn’t helped the situation as Utah seeks a replacement for the graduated Tyler Huntley.
Whittingham noted that offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is a master teacher and communicator. He also praised his attention to detail and said it’s manifest in his teach tapes and things he’s sending out to the quarterbacks.
“It’s not a substitute for being able to teach them right here at our facility and on the practice field,” Whittingham said. “But it’s making the best of a tough situation.”
A DIFFERENT WORLD: Working from an office in his home obviously isn’t the same as heading to the football facility each day.
“It’s crazy and it’s different than anything any of us have ever experienced I believe,” Whittingham said while noting tough times in the past were dealt with differently. “Everything wasn’t shut down, I mean at least to my knowledge. We’ve got uncharted territory that we’re in right now.”
It’s impossible for him to personally reach out to every player every day, Whittingham explained. The onus, he said, is on the position coaches to stay completely connected to their groups on a daily basis and then report any issues or any problems back to him.
The situation, Whittingham summarized, is very different.
STEERING CLEAR, THUS FAR: The Utah program hasn’t had a direct tie to the coronavirus pandemic at this point. Whittingham said there’s been no connection to his knowledge.
“But again,” he said, “this thing is changing so quickly there could be.”