There is so much uncertainty and anxiety right now, a Power 5 soccer player said as he left his apartment for an afternoon workout on campus earlier this month.
The player, who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity, recently met with school and conference officials to discuss a return to practice amid the coronavirus pandemic and came out as if there was no clear plan.
“Personally,” he said, “I don’t think there is a proper protocol for us to play safely. If I’m real, it’s just about making money.”
For schools and conferences, that’s it. The players, he said, feel like guinea pigs.
The player is a possible first or second round draft pick, and he is reflecting on his future in the NFL. He wants to play this season, but is very aware of the risk associated with the coronavirus and is not comfortable with it.
You don’t want to test positive and lose two or three games due to a mandatory minimum quarantine of 14 days. And along those same lines, he’s not sure how much he trusts his teammates to report his symptoms, for fear of losing playing time.
You are concerned about possible long-term ramifications, such as reduced lung capacity.
Even if they are lucky and there are no outbreaks, they see another threat: the lack of a traditional off-season conditioning program.
“There is a certain timeline it takes to prepare for the season, and if you throw the kids out there, that’s a risk of injury,” he said.
If your conference plays this fall, you won’t feel safe doing it. But it is a risk that he says he will have to run for fear of falling stocks.
However, the possibility of a spring season is something completely different.
“I would go,” he said. “I don’t think it would be smart for me to participate in the spring and participate in the draft.”
The risk of injury combined with the quick switch to pre-draft events is too much.
“I don’t know if the risk is as great as the reward,” he said. “I think a lot of guys would sit down instead of play.”
As conferences continue to grapple with the viability of college football amid a global pandemic, athletic players, agents, and coaches look at the calendar inch into fall, seeing outbreaks of the coronavirus across the country, and they ‘re getting anxious. Decision time is coming for everyone, and they are preparing to make a move sooner rather than later.
The first big domino fell on Wednesday. Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley, a potential first-round pick, announced that he was choosing to exit the season to begin preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.
Several sources said several professional prospects are already considering dropping out of college to prepare for the NFL draft. A late season could send them packing. And a spring season? Forget this. A lifelong agent said players are already nervous and that there is “no chance” that most first-round prospects will play under those conditions as long as the draft schedule remains in place, and that many second-hand prospects and third round will probably follow suit.
“If you’re a bona fide first-round pick and you’re so close to the finish line, are you really putting yourself in danger?” The agent said, adding that if you are in the position of Trevor Lawrence, Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle, you have “absolutely nothing to gain.”
CJ LaBoy, a Wasserman agent, said college football is asking players to take on a “risk load” under current conditions. Without a vaccine and without a clear plan for a safe return to soccer, the players are anxious and are considering dropping out of school and starting training. LaBoy said he has had those conversations with the players and their families, and many want to make a move “right now.”
LaBoy said he hopes agents won’t take advantage of the players’ fear and rush them to make an irrevocable decision. After all, the best thing for an agent is to close as many leads as soon as possible. LaBoy knows what is happening. Another agent, who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity, said the speech is simple: Drop out of school now so that you can stay in a nice apartment in a sunny state where you can train and become a professional.
The appeal is undeniable. After all, if they’re taking classes online anyway, what’s the harm in doing it off-campus like any other student?
Mo Wells, who works with draft hopefuls at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, said he heard from “quite a few” over the past month about bringing his clients to training facilities early. He and the staff are already preparing packages for that eventuality, offering a bubble environment where players can train in state-of-the-art gyms.
“It’s more of a when than a yes,” Wells said.
EXOS, the NFL’s combined training leader, began preparing for that possibility as well after receiving calls from various agents and advisers. Prospects generally train at their facility for eight weeks, but according to Trent Wilfinger, senior vice president of the sports division, the company has already formulated a plan for what an extended stay would be like.
Former Michigan tight end Jake Butt tries to put himself in the role of a current junior or senior in college and grimaces at what must be a difficult decision. The uncertainty you’re dealing with as a member of the Denver Broncos right now is pretty tough, he said, “but those guys don’t get paid.”
Butt knows better than most about the risk of playing when the draft is on the horizon. He tore his ACL during his last game as Wolverine and saw his stock plummet. The former Mackey Prize winner was finally selected in the fifth round, which he said cost him “quite a bit of money.”
Keep in mind that each option is something that applicants must do, and there won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach, Butt said. But if the NFL schedule doesn’t change and the college season is delayed, he said his advice to professional prospects would be to consider not playing.
“The consciousness part is a great thing,” he said. “It used to be that kids would say that I will play for my school independently and I will play to win the game and the pride. But, man, there is life-changing money now and there is a risk.”
An NFL executive said it would be “understandable in some cases” if the players decide to stay out.
“It really is just an extension of the bowl games we’ve seen in the past few years,” he said. “Also, we are preparing for the possibility that no one will play in 2020. However, in the end, we are in the business of practicing and playing soccer. What are they doing if they are not playing? How are they going to improve?” improve yourself if all your teammates are busy playing. Actually, there are only a few players who can “get away with it.” Most would benefit from putting out an additional film. “
Top college scouts from various teams say they have rated or will have rated all notable players in the past two years. They have a tape of each game and will isolate matchups and players, and can rely on scouting services like BLESTO, which includes about six NFL teams in a talent assessment pool, to help with the background.
The pre-draft evaluation loop could be even more important, and would likely expand to accommodate diverse talents, from stars to uncovered prospects. The Senior Bowl would strongly consider bringing in juniors and could extend its event to two weeks to showcase more players. That would require a formal request to the NFL, which could keep its offseason schedule intact with bowl games and the combine, but adjust draft dates if necessary.
In other words: there are other options besides staying at school.
A veteran SEC starter, who coaches say has professional potential but is not a first or second-round pick, told ESPN that he had several unanswered questions about safety protocols. He was concerned about traveling to play at potential virus hot spots and how close opponents would be about his positive cases. Anyway, he said he wouldn’t play in the spring. He has had a serious injury once in his career and said the idea of another injury so close to the draft presents too much risk.
Seeing so many NFL players choose to exit next season only sheds a harsher light on the realities of playing during a pandemic.
“There is a renaissance in sports happening with the younger generation and an understanding of the influence that they have and the power that they have and the influence that they have, and they are understanding how the system is configured,” LaBoy said. “They are the talent. They are the artists who make money for their schools. They don’t make money from it, and the boys don’t like that. They are not going to put their livelihoods at risk for good.” from the University of whatever. These kids are significantly smarter than they get credit for. “
He added: “There will be players who raise their hands and say: ‘I am tired of this. I am already risking my body. I am not going to take any more risks.’ … You will begin to see that the players begin to fail and begin to jump.”
And once that happens, all bets will be void. Because while there may be only a select number of safe shooting teams in college football at the moment, there are many more players who see themselves in that same light and there are agents and advisers who will gladly encourage them to go for themselves. themselves and leave school early
Ultimately, there is still time, and the uncertainty that is driving so many of these conversations is also what’s keeping players from making a decision.
It has to be argued, especially expressed by Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, that a spring season could be really positive for professionals.
“Now if the NFL plays in the fall, I promise you that you would love to be able to send your coaches and coordinators out there and watch these guys play soccer games,” he said. “I’ve talked to several NFL head coaches who love that idea. I think from an evaluation standpoint, it would be fine and obviously you would have to do something with the draft.”
Perhaps conditions will improve. Maybe you can play a season in the fall. Or maybe it’s in the spring and the NFL is delaying the draft or holding firm.
Anything can happen, but one thing is certain: time is ticking.
And Caleb Farley just made the first move.
.
