Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The door has finally cracked open for the Gators to begin their migration back to campus amidst the global coronavirus pandemic that has shut down college athletics since mid-March.

In the wake of the Southeastern Conference school presidents' decision to allow voluntary in-person athletics activities back on campuses across the league, the University Athletic Association announced Friday that Florida's student-athletes will start to return to campus on June 8.

Their return will happen in multiple phases over a period of several weeks and student-athletes competing in fall sports will arrive first, starting with the initial group of football players, who will begin physicals and COVID testing on May 26. Returning soccer and volleyball student-athletes will start coming back on June 15, and returning men's and women's basketball players on June 29. New student-athletes in football, soccer, men's and women's basketball and volleyball will begin arriving July 1. 

University of Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said the school's return-to-campus plan emphasizes student-athlete safety above any other factor.

"Our sports-medicine team has worked closely with the experts at UFHealth, including the infectious disease staff, to make sure we're taking every precaution necessary when we bring our athletes back,'' Stricklin said. "The only way we would bring them back if we felt we could do so in the safest manner based on the data that has been developed. The experts know a lot more now than they did two months ago about the virus."
 
Florida's student-athletes have not been permitted to use on-campus facilities since the SEC announced March 12 that all in-person athletic activities were suspended. By the time the first wave of football players is permitted to return to campus, more than 70 days will have passed as the United States experienced its most turbulent period from an infectious disease since the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918.

Extra precautions will be taken when the student-athletes do start returning.

As part of the standard pre-participation physical exam, all student-athletes must be tested for COVID-19 before the start of any physical activity on campus. UF's athletic trainers and medical staff, headed by Dr. Jay Clugston, have worked closely with Dr. Michael Lauzardo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at UFHealth, and Dr. Kartik Cherabuddi, director of UFHealth's Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, in devising the UAA's plan.

The UAA Return to Campus Working Group, a widespread group of internal staff chaired by Chip Howard, executive associate athletic director, relied heavily on input from department staff members Stacey Higgins (associate athletic director for sports health), Dave Werner (associate athletic director for sports health), Nick Savage (director of football strength and conditioning), Jeff Guin (senior associate athletics director, Hawkins Center at Farrior Hall/Academics), Preston Greene (director of strength and condition for basketball, golf, tennis) and Paul Chandler (director of strength and conditioning for Olympic sports).

Once student-athletes return and are cleared to begin training on campus, they will be screened daily with a temperature check and health questionnaire. As part of the plan, all student-athletes must wear personal-protection equipment during each appointment other than for lifting sessions.

All access to UF's athletic facilities and academic advising are by appointment only and the UAA will provide resources on the best practices for physical distancing, hand washing and the wearing of masks in relation to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, all weight-room equipment and facilities will be sanitized each session and then again at the end of each day, and UF's strength-and-conditioning staff will follow national guidelines for a safer return to training following a period of inactivity.

Stricklin is eager to welcome back UF student-athletes to campus slowly and as safe as possible following an unprecedented stretch in the country's history.

"We're so blessed to have so many talented people working on our staff and working on this campus in other areas,'' Stricklin said. "This is a lot of conversation, a lot of thought and a lot of planning, which is one of the reasons there is confidence in the return plan. And it may adapt and morph as we go along and start to integrate them back into campus."