The Ohio State football program will take another meaningful step toward the 2020 football season on Friday with the start of NCAA-approved walkthrough practices.
The practices will be part of the next step of the ramp-up toward the season. Teams will be able to participate in 20 hours of practice per week for the next two weeks. That time includes eight hours of weight lifting, six hours of meetings, and six hours of walkthrough practices per week.
This will be the first time since the shut down of spring ball back in March that OSU position coaches will be able to work with players with footballs.
This spring, Ryan Day told reporters that he felt the team would need six weeks of ramp-up to the start of the regular season. The first walkthrough practice will happen six weeks and one day from the date the Buckeyes were originally scheduled to hold their season-opener against Bowling Green on September 5.
While the Big Ten has not yet announced its 2020 conference-only football schedule, there has been speculation that teams could still be on track to start the year on September 5 as previously planned.
The Buckeyes’ fall camp is scheduled to open on Friday, August 7.
You can read more details from Ohio State below.
- The Ohio State football program will begin its second phase of summer access tomorrow, July 24.
- This 14-day period will include up to 20 hours per week of activities (and not more than four hours per day) that may include:
- Up to eight hours per week of weight training and conditioning (no sports equipment can be used);
- Up to six hours per week of walk-throughs, which may include the use of a football (no conditioning or contact; no protective equipment; and no speed drills); and
- Up to six hours per week of meetings, which may include film review, position meetings, one-on-one meetings, etc.
- Student-athletes must be provided two days off during the 14-day period.
- Skill instruction (ie: practice) is not allowed until the beginning of preseason practice, which is set for Aug. 7.
- The health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes is our highest priority.
- Health and safety protocols are designed to be as responsible as possible based on guidelines established by the Ohio State COVID-19 Transition Task Force and its Safe Campus and Scientific Advisory Subgroup, and also the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Ohio Department of Health.
- Ohio State football players are being routinely tested for COVID-19 and training/workout decisions will continue to be re-evaluated by medical staff to protect the health and safety of students.
- To protect the individual medical privacy of the student-athletes, the university will not release information about the test results.
- A strict set of protocols remain in place requiring daily symptoms assessments, physical distancing, masks, hygiene, limited density in indoor spaces and cleaning procedures.
- Players will continue to dress/undress at their apartments and bring used workout gear back the next day for daily cleaning by the equipment staff.
- Upon completion of activities, student-athletes will pick up clean workout clothes for the next day and receive food-to-go before exiting premises.
- Workouts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center will take place in the weight room, on the indoor field and as much as possible on the outdoor fields.
- Areas off limits at this time include the locker room, showers and players’ lounge.