Kansas State Head Coach Chris Klieman opened a Zoom talk with the Manhattan Rotary Club on Thursday afternoon saying, “I’m crossing my fingers and looking forward to a soccer season,” and then added, “I have an emergency meeting for the Big 12 right after this call to enter more information about what we will do in the fall “.
And so another day passes in this precarious world of college football that apparently changes day by day as masked faces peer through an uncertain landscape of COVID-19, fingers crossed and everything, waiting for a more stable tomorrow.
“I may not have all the answers because they are changing on a daily basis,” said Klieman. “You are seeing that a conference is going to program only conference games, a conference, going to spring, etc. There will be more conference based stuff and that is what we are going to visit this afternoon. Because we saw that the ACC came out with a model yesterday, the Big Ten that we know already came out with their model, and the Pac-12 that we know already came out with their model. When I was in the state of North Dakota, several schools in the area have chosen to quit soccer or move to spring, so everyone will have to come up with their own plan by conference. ”
A source told Stadium on Wednesday that the Big 12 Conference’s top three programming options are to play 12 games, or play a 10-game season, including a nine-game conference schedule and a non-conference game, or play a conference-only schedule consisting of just nine games.
A source told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd on Wednesday that the Southeast Conference is considering at least three programming models, including two models plus one and a conference-only model. The Pac-12 and Big Ten decided to stick to a conference-only schedule earlier this month, and the ACC announced Wednesday that its soccer teams will play an 11-game season, including a 10-game conference schedule and one not conference game.
“If you had asked me a month ago, I would have said, ‘I doubt we have a football season,'” Klieman said. “If you had asked me three weeks after that, I would say, ‘Yes, we are definitely having a season.’ Two weeks ago, I said ‘no’. Last week, I said, ‘Yes, probably.’ I’m leaning toward it right now, but as we all recently saw with the Florida Marlins, something can happen like this. So we have done the best job possible to educate our boys. Our biggest fear is when they leave the facility. “
It’s been 212 days since K-State had official team-wide activity, and that was when the Wildcats appeared at the 2019 Liberty Bowl on December 31. Spring practice was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players were separated for months, then briefly rejoined in June, separated again due to the COVID-19 spike, and has now reconvened in Manhattan for training player-led.
K-State reported 14 cases of COVID-19 positive cases on June 19, forcing the athletic department to pause summer training the day after. K-State reported two positive cases during its last update on July 13.
“No one had anything but minor symptoms,” said Klieman. “The most important thing we had was a cough, a bit of a sore throat and a headache. No one really had a fever. No one had to go to the hospital or anything like that. Yes, all those guys have recovered. Not all of those. We are still two boys from the return to the game or the return to participation because one of the things with COVID with a teenage boy is what does it do to the heart? So we’ve done echoes, MRIs, and other things with those two kids.
“About three weeks ago, and that’s what we’ve been told, if someone tests positive, it’s probably an ‘injury’ in three to four weeks.”
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Between July 13-23, FBS teams could perform mandatory weight training, conditioning, and movie review for up to eight hours per week with no more than two hours of movie review per week.
Last Friday was the first day that FBS teams could begin practicing with the use of a soccer ball, according to the NCAA Division I Council approved return-to-play plan. From now until August 6, players can participate in up to 20 hours per week, but not more than four hours per day, of “accounting activities related to sports”.
“The challenge we all face is when we come back and we have 20,000 students here, what will be the protocols that we can all follow to have a chance to play soccer,” said Klieman. “I am not one to play in the spring. I don’t think that works. If it has to happen, we will. But we would like to play this season between September and around Christmas. We have about a three week period where some championship games could be delayed until the end of December. The challenge will be there.
“I have had uninterrupted Zoom meetings every day since May 15 on potential protocols and what we are looking to do. We have another one today that we are getting closer to some of those answers. “
The added element to all of this, back to school, has apparently been a theme among at least some of the Klieman players.
“I’m going to be interested to see what college comes out with and when they come up with something about our back-to-school policy,” Klieman said. “It has been interesting. Really concerned kids have asked us if they can choose not to attend a class in person and select only online classes, so I know that at least this is being talked about. If we have in-person classes, I know that across campus, President (Richard) Myers will have everyone wear a mask. I am not concerned with children going to class as I am not concerned with them in practice and in meetings. But suddenly they are hanging out at the Student Union, and suddenly they feel comfortable, or they hang out at home and bring four people, or they go to a restaurant and feel comfortable: those are the things that we all we care. “
