Monday, for the first time in more than two months, Ohio State coaches returned to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Yes, things are a little different than they were before the quarantine, but simply having personnel back in the building was clearly a big step.
Now, according to a report by Dave Biddle of Bucknuts, there is a timetable in place for Buckeye football players to come back to campus as well.
The report cites sources that said OSU players will be back in Columbus on Monday, June 8.
The school has not yet confirmed the report, and a lot is still not known about that potential return. Right now, the locker rooms, indoor practice facility, dining facilities, and many other areas of the WHAC are still off-limits to anyone.
Still, the moment players step back on campus at Ohio State, the likelihood of a 2020 college football season in Columbus will increase dramatically.
OSU Assistant AD for Football Sports Performance Mickey Marotti told reporters earlier this month that a minimum of two weeks of strength training would be required before players would be ready to practice.
At the time, it was assumed that mid-July would be something of a deadline for players to be back at school in order to start the season on time. If they’re able to come back a month earlier than that, that would be a major boon for the likelihood of the season kicking off on schedule.
The Buckeyes’ first game is set for Saturday, September 5 against Bowling Green.
This is just the latest in what seems like a sudden wave of optimism for the return of college football and other sports. This week, the governors of California, Texas, and New York have all spoken openly about the return of professional sports to their states sooner rather than later.
There are still many questions to be answered, including how likely it is that teams will be able to play in front of at least some fans, but if you’re hoping to see Buckeye football this fall, things are seemingly trending in a good direction right now.