Alabama coach Nick Saban questioned the viability of a season in spring football during his appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday, and asked if pro prospects could participate themselves.
“I think one of the real consequences of this is, if you’re a junior or a senior and you have an NFL class, are you going to play in the spring?” Sei Saban. “Or will that be kind of a JV season with a lot of these juniors and seniors turning away?”
Several current college footballers have told ESPN that they are not ready to play a spring season, citing the risk of injury so close to the NFL draft, which is scheduled to begin on April 29.
One week ago, the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced that they would postpone all bankruptcy sports during the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to play football in the spring.
The SEC, ACC and Big 12 all have plans to start their seasons in September.
Saban said he is confident in the advice he and the SEC have received in terms of advancing with the season and creating a “safe environment.”
“Everyone’s circumstances and situation are a little different,” Saban said. “I actually hate it for the players who don’t get the chance to play and compete and create value for themselves.”
Several high-profile prospects have opted for the season, including Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman and Miami defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau.
On Monday, defending champion LSU had ruled out his second player when senior defensive back Kary Vincent Jr. said he would start preparing for the NFL combine.
Over the weekend, a handful of Vanderbilt players took off, including leading tackle Dimitri Moore.
Saban declined to say whether any of his players had decided to retire this season, reiterating that everyone has been told that “you do not have to do anything you are not comfortable with.”
“We will keep all those issues internal to our team,” Saban said after practice Monday. “The players have asked me to do that, and I agree with them.”
Alabama opens the season against Missouri on Sept. 26.
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