GoHeels Exclusive: Back To Campus

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Soon after the NCAA Division I Council voted last Wednesday to approve voluntary on-campus activities for football and men's and women's basketball beginning June 1, Mack Brown and his staff started envisioning what a return to campus might look like.

Amid the radical uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, they tried not to get too far ahead of themselves. That, however, is no longer a concern.

Seventy-nine days since any of its teams last competed, Carolina Athletics took a step toward normalcy on Friday, announcing its plan to bring student-athletes, coaches and staff back to campus. Coaches and staffs for football and men's and women's basketball will return for testing on June 12 before going back to work three days later. The first of four groups of football players will begin phasing back on June 12, as well.

As exciting as that might be, Brown remains realistic. The Hall of Fame head coach knows the next few weeks are just as, if not more, critical than any in UNC's attempt to bring sports back.

"The purpose of starting this early for us is to make sure that our medical staff and our procedures can handle our team, our staff and our coaches in a proper way so everybody stays healthy. …" Brown told reporters during a videoconference on Friday afternoon.

"Are we starting back to work? Yes. Is this all about football? No, it's to let us and our medical staff know that we're keeping our staff and our players safe. And at the same time, we will phase their workouts back in and then hopefully we'll have everybody on campus by July 1 and they will have a great month of July to work and eat and prepare to start practice."

The first to return, Brown said the coaches will initially work three four-hour days each week as they acclimate to the new structure. Only staff that needs to be in the Kenan Football Center (KFC) to do their work will join them. The rest, Brown said, will work at home through the summer.

As for how the players will be brought in, that's a bit more complex.

Brown said medical personnel didn't feel comfortable with all 120 players returning at once, mainly because it would've made testing difficult. So, UNC has elected to bring them back in four separate groups. Following the first batch of players on June 12, three more will return on June 19, 26 and 29. But first, the coaches need to decide which players will return when.

Several factors will be weighed when making group determinations, ranging from the workout equipment and healthy foods that they currently have access to at home to any medical concerns or strength and conditioning needs. There's also the matter of morale.

"It's difficult for us because there will be a perception with some of the players that if you're not on the first list, we don't care about you and you are not a good player and all that," said Brown, who's looking to make selections for the first group by the end of next week. "And that's not going to be the case; I just spent 30 minutes with our team trying to explain that.

"I'll look at the list Monday that (the coaches) present to me, and I'll have some hard questions for them. We're just going to have to do the best we can do and understand that by the end of the month, everybody on the team will be here."

Once they arrive, players will be tested. Those who test negative will begin working out in small groups with head strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess before undergoing a second test 7-8 days later. If a player tests positive, they'll be required to quarantine in a campus residence hall specified by the university or at their permanent residence.

Players who live on campus will spend their first month in Parker Residence Hall, adjacent to the Bill Koman Practice Complex, in their own single room. Those who live off campus will continue doing so. Where a player lives, as well as who they live with, is as important a factor as any in determining when they'll come back. UNC wants to test players who will be living together at the same time and keep them together as others are phased in.

That's far from the only safety measure in place.

Every person who enters the KFC will have their temperature taken each day. Then, once they get inside, they'll be required to wear a face covering or mask. They'll also be expected to make every effort to maintain social distancing.

Because medical personnel decided that only two people at a time could use the KFC elevator, everyone, except for those with medical passes, will use the stairs. Brown said he and his staff are already planning on spreading the players out between three or four dressing rooms. And even though no meetings can be held in person through at least the end of June due to NCAA rules, they're looking into finding different areas for certain position groups, such as the wide receivers, to meet due to the size of their current meeting rooms.

Brown recognizes that information about the virus is constantly evolving, but until medical experts are 100 percent certain that specific precautions aren't necessary, his team will follow them. Even then, he knows opinions will differ.

"Some people aren't worried about the virus. Some people think it's just the flu and they don't want to wear a mask," said Brown, speaking generally. "We've asked all of ours to do what our doctors have told us to do because if there's one person who does feel like it's very important for everybody to wear a mask, then everybody should wear one, and we've got to honor that."

Brown and his staff are also putting an emphasis on the players being smart and safe when interacting with other people on campus. That will surely become more difficult when classes resume in August, but they're encouraging players to stay within the athletics bubble.

"Some people will say, 'Kids aren't going to go by the social-distancing rules,'" Brown said. "Well, we have to. That's what we've got to do to make sure we stay safe and that football works."

While the chances of a football season being played seem more likely than they were a few weeks ago, Brown and his staff are just beginning to discuss how to maintain safety protocols on the field when training camp begins, whenever that might be.

The American Football Coaches Association recently proposed the idea of a six-week preseason camp to the NCAA's football oversight committee. If approved, the program would begin in mid-to-late July and would feature two weeks of NFL-style OTA practices before a four-week camp in August. As helpful as that would be, Brown said he's not expecting a ruling on the proposal until schools show they can safely bring players, coaches and staff back.

So, until then, Carolina will adhere to the strict guidelines that it has put it place, knowing more could be established at any time.

"Any of us could get sick, but if we're going back to work, you guys (the media) have to work, too," Brown said. "If we're going back to work, I'm going to be careful with you, I'm going to be careful with our players and our coaches, and I'm going to go back to work and do the best job that I can do. My leadership has never been more important than it is right now."

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