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Football: Team still practicing amid coronavirus crisis – 3/13 update changes

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, March 13, 2020

Update: The UL football team has had to alter its practice plans due to ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The Ragin’ Cajuns "will refrain from holding Saturday’s practice," a UL spokesman told reporters via text message Friday night.

"Future practice status," spokesman Patrick Crawford added Friday, "will be determined early next week."

Crawford had no update on practice for UL’s other sports team in what he called "a constantly evolving situation."

The Sun Belt Conference, of which UL is a member, opted Thursday to cancel its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and suspend all spring sports.

The league’s decision — and the NCAA’s decision Thursday to cancel its basketball tournaments and championships for all sports for the remainder of the season — came in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping the country.

Related: Maggard weighs in on Sun Belt decision

More: Latest on what is being canceled in and around Lafayette Parish due to coronavirus

Coach Billy Napier’s UL football team did practice Thursday afternoon, and on Thursday night UL athletic director Bryan Maggard said "we’re full-steam ahead with regards to spring football, the spring game, etc.” Maggard also said at the time that recruiting efforts were continuing as well.

“But … this is a very fluid situation,” Maggard said at the time, “so it’s very possible that we may have different news come next week.”

It happened sooner than that.

On Friday afternoon, the NCAA suspended recruiting at least through April 15 for all sports.

 

As a result, Cajuns football receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Tim Leger tweeted that all UL football "recruiting events are officially canceled."

More: NCAA halts recruiting across all sports in response to coronavirus

Multiple football recruits had been scheduled to visit UL this weekend.

Then came word Friday night regarding the Cajuns’ practice schedule. UL had been slated to hold the fourth of 15 spring practices Saturday.

Also Friday, nearby LSU and other SEC programs suspend both practice and competition for all sports through April 15.

Plans for UL’s annual spring finale, currently scheduled for April 9 at Cajun Field and usually open to the public, also remain in limbo as a result because of all the uncertainty. Some schools nationally already have canceled their spring games.

UL is scheduled to open its season Sept. 5 at home against FCS Southland Conference-member McNeese.

Asked if the call on whether to ultimately cancel or postpone the spring football game would be made by the NCAA or by the school, Maggard said Thursday that, “I would think that would be more of an institutional and/or conference decision, but at this time we do not know.”

More: NCAA pushing rule change to allow athletes impacted by coronavirus to regain eligibility

Napier’s team went 11-3 last season with a LendingTree Bowl win over Miami (Ohio),

After Tuesday night’s football practice, the last time he met with media members and was made available for comment, Napier said, “I think it’s day-to-day for everybody involved, right? … We’ll adapt if we need to. I think right now we don’t have to worry about it.”

Since then, much has changed — both in terms of the virus’ spread, and the response of the NCAA and its member conferences to it.

Sun Belt spokesman Scottie Rodgers told The Daily Advertiser in an email Thursday that “each campus is handling shutdowns/suspension of operations differently” with regard to spring football games and practices.

More: Cajuns quarterback Lewis ready to take the next step

More: UL starts spring practice with new leadership on defense

More: Napier says Cajuns offensive line has ‘blessing in disguise’

* * * * * ** *

The UL football team, at least now, has not been majorly impacted by the Sun Belt Conference’s reaction to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The Sun Belt opted Thursday to cancel its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and suspend all spring sports.

The league’s decision — and the NCAA’s decision Thursday to cancel its basketball tournaments and championships for all sports for the remainder of the season — came in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping the country.

Instead of suspending or canceling like other Sun Belt sports, however, all work continues as previously planned for coach Billy Napier and his Ragin’ Cajuns.

Related: Maggard weighs in on Sun Belt decision

More: Latest on what is being canceled in and around Lafayette Parish due to coronavirus

"At this time both practice and recruiting have not been suspended, for all sports,” UL athletic director Bryan Maggard said Thursday night.

“And at this time, because of that, we’re full-steam ahead with regards to spring football, the spring game, etc.”

Multiple football recruits, in fact, are scheduled to visit UL this weekend.

Some schools nationally already have canceled their spring games, but the Cajuns’ annual spring finale remains scheduled and open to the public, at least for the time being, on April 9 at Cajun Field.

 

UL is scheduled to open its season Sept. 5 at home against FCS Southland Conference-member McNeese.

Asked if the call on whether to ultimately cancel or postpone the spring football game would be made by the NCAA or by the school, Maggard said, “I would think that would be more of an institutional and/or conference decision, but at this time we do not know.”

More: Cajuns quarterback Lewis ready to take the next step

Napier’s team, which went 11-3 last season with a LendingTree Bowl win over Miami (Ohio), held its third of 15 spring practices Thursday. It is scheduled to practice again Saturday.

After Tuesday night’s practice, the last time he met with media members and was made available for comment, Napier said, “I think it’s day-to-day for everybody involved, right? … We’ll adapt if we need to. I think right now we don’t have to worry about it.”

Since then, much has changed — both in terms of the virus’ spread, and the response of the NCAA and its member conferences to it.

But in many instances, practices continue.

Sun Belt spokesman Scottie Rodgers told The Daily Advertiser in an email Thursday that “each campus is handling shutdowns/suspension of operations differently” with regard to spring football games and practices.

More: Napier says Cajuns offensive line has ‘blessing in disguise’

More: UL starts spring practice with new leadership on defense

So UL’s spring football schedule remains unchanged, at least as things stood late in the week.

“But … this is a very fluid situation,” Maggard said, “so it’s very possible that we may have different news come next week.”