AUBURN, Ala. – On Sunday night, the eve of the first fall practice, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn stood inside Jordan-Hare Stadium and addressed his team.
"Guys, think back to the last five months and everything that we've done," Malzahn told the players. "We're finally here. We're finally getting ready to start football."
Five months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. It initially canceled spring practice, forcing players back home. Though players returned to campus over the summer, the season was pushed back because of concerns, the schedule altered to just 10 SEC games. There are still question marks, but the Tigers practiced as a team Monday – a sign that football is indeed back on the Plains.
"I'm very proud of our players and our staff and the way they've handled themselves through this whole time off," Malzahn said. "During the spring, operating with our players back home, and our coaches working through Zoom. And then once they got back on campus, the way they handled themselves through all the ups and downs of the summer to get to this point.
"There's a lot of excitement around our building. Everybody is ready to get started."
Practice this fall will be unconventional in a lot of ways. The season opener is a little more than five weeks away, and because of the circumstances surrounding this season, creating depth will be more important than ever. That means more 11 on 11 and more scrimmage reps than normal during fall camp. The coaches need to know who all is ready to play when Auburn hosts Kentucky on Sept. 26.
"I think it's a challenge for everybody," Malzahn said. "We feel really good about our plan, the way that we're going to go about it – as far as evaluating our guys, developing depth, not just for players but our coaches. I think that's a real thing that we have to be prepared for.
"And so we're setting up practice different than we've ever done. I'm excited about it. I think our players are. The goal is to get more information in a faster period of time than we normally do. This isn't a time for tradition. I really believe the teams that can be flexible, they'll have a chance to separate themselves."
The best news of fall camp to this point is that the entire team, players and coaches, were tested for COVID-19 last week, and not one person tested positive.
Here's a look at some other highlights from Malzahn's press conference via Zoom on Monday.
On COVID testing…
"We brought our guys back June 4. We've tested our players 863 times, which is a little bit more than seven times per player. We've had 33 positives over the course of the summer. We tested our staff over five times apiece. We've had one coach test positive. That was earlier in the summer. We're using to the gold standard test, the test that they actually stick it way up your nose and the saliva, and so I really appreciate our administration with the amount of testing they've allowed us to do and with the best testing out there available for us with that. We did test our team last week. We got some very good news. We had zero positives. We tested our team and staff. So that gives us a lot of confidence going into fall camp today and getting started."
On seeing other conferences postpone the season…
"The thing about it, we've been talking for probably five-to-six weeks about just controlling what we can control and not getting caught up with the ups and downs and everything that's going on outside. That's the way we take it – day by day and week by week. We're just concerned about us. As of right now, we're getting ready for the season and that's our mindset. We can't get distracted. Our guys have done a good job of that."
On staying the course in terms of masks, protocols on campus…
"The thing about our team is they've done a lot this summer. They've done a lot of sacrificing. We've learned through the process. There was a time in mid-summer where we had quite a few of those 33 positives. Our team just came together and started being accountable to each other. But when we're outside this building – we've done a really good job inside the building – but when we go outside this building, we've got to be responsible. We've been preaching to our guys about masks, social distancing. Your circle has got to be very small with who you're with. Our guys have done a super job with that. I think because of the sacrifice that they've done to get here, these guys want to play. To students, you're in it with us and we need your help. Wear your mask, social distance, be responsible. We knew this was going to be a telling time right now with all the students coming back to campus. What we told our guys is let's control us. Most of our classes are going to be online for our players. We're just doing everything we can to really stay self-isolated to protect our players, and we have a good chance of playing the season."
On appreciating the sport more after time away…
"I definitely appreciate what we have, appreciate being able to coach the players we have and being around the players. That's what's fun for coaches is to coach the players on the field, put a plan together, have a dream together and try to achieve that dream and that plan. That's what we love to do. The appreciation level is very high. You go through adversity, which we all have done, and you get to this point, you have a way of looking back and appreciating things even more than you used to."
Click here to watch the full video of Malzahn's press conference.