Duke Football hold first practice of 2020 fall camp. Durham, NC.- August 2, 2020
College football seems one COVID-19 outbreak away from shutting down without a 2020 season, but two teams that so far appear to have avoided pratfalls plaguing other campuses are Duke and Notre Dame. Conveniently, the ACC’s revised schedule has Duke traveling to South Bend to face the Irish Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Maybe that’s one game that is played before college “house parties” making the news result in shutting down campuses and ultimately the sport.
Duke opened practice on Friday without reporting any infections among its football players since they were permitted to return to campus for informal workouts on July 12 and we’re tested. Notre Dame reported on Monday none of its 103 players tested positive.
Elsewhere, though, campuses coast to coast have had to shut down informal workouts. Players at other schools have expressed a lack of confidence in their school’s safety precautions or in a commitment from their teammates.
Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley not only opted out from the 2020 season, he cited teammates leaving campus and returning from such party spots as Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Duke senior safety Michael Carter II and senior center Jack Wohlabaugh met with the media after practice through Zoom interviews.
“I think mitigation is one of the big things,” said Carter. “We’re trying to create our own bubble — sort of like the NBA and Major League Baseball. We’re staying within the team. When we head out of the team we’re masking up in different settings. We’ve created a situation where we don’t have to go outside of the football aspect of things to limit who we come in contact with.”
A limited number of Duke students also were permitted to return to campus and check into dorms on Friday.
Wohlabaugh added the players wore face shields with their helmets.
“We all hope we have a season and things go smoothly,” he said “It’s concerning with other sports getting canceled. But as far as practice, workouts leading up to this we’ve been following the guidelines and practice felt smooth.”
However, Duke isn’t immune to players opting out. Duke coach David Cutcliffe announced Ben Wyatt, a redshirt senior long snapper, and Jacob Rimmer, a redshirt junior offensive tackle, won’t return over their virus concerns. Cutcliffe added he supported their decisions and they’ll remain on scholarship. Both are on track to graduate in the spring.
Wyatt, oddly enough, had been named on Monday to the Patrick Mannelly watch list as the nation’s top long snapper, but the Blue Devils have an experienced backup with senior John Taylor. He handled the short-snapping duties the last two seasons and some long-snapping in 2018.
Aside from the enthusiasm Cutcliffe said he felt bubbling over as early as pre-practice stretching, Duke’s 13th-year head coach was encouraged by the fitness rate of his players. He said 98 percent of the players reported in satisfactory conditioning after being at home in the spring.
“We’ve heard it’s been only 50-50 or 40-60 at other schools,” he said.
The start of practice also launched the quarterback competition. Chris Katrenick returns as a redshirt junior and Gunnar Holmberg of Wakefield High a redshirt sophomore, but Chase Brice joined the mix as a redshirt junior transfer from Clemson.
Cutcliffe had recruited Brice out of high school, and the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from Grayson, Ga., reconsidered the Blue Devils once he accepted he was buried as a backup to All-American Trevor Lawrence, a possible first pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Brice has immediate eligibility as a May graduate and has been considered the favorite since announcing his transfer.
But Cutcliffe said Katrenick hasn’t backed off from the competition.
“I was blown away with Chris in regard to his understanding of defensive football,” he said. “He has not wasted time during the pandemic. He has become a student of the game.”
Now he and the rest of college football just have to hope there is a season.
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