As his players slowly begin returning to campus, University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell said he believes the 2020 season will start on time.
The Bearcats are set to open the season against Austin Peay Sept. 3 at Nippert Stadium, but Fickell told The Cincinnati Enquirer on Tuesday that his team, the university and the world still have a long way to go to make that a reality.
"I look completely at it starting on time," he said. "What we're looking at, we're looking at going to camp at the right time (Aug. 5). Now, will there be ups and downs, will there be hiccups, will there be different things that happen during the season? Yeah. To me, you gotta focus on and think about and worry about the things that you can control."
"I gotta keep my kids positive and not worrying about 'Well, I wonder if it's going to start on time.' 'I wonder how many people are going to be in the stands.' All things that we have absolutely no control over. But if we spend any of our energy worrying or thinking about those things, there's no way in hell we're going to be where we need to be as individuals in everything that we're doing. Whether it's continuing to keep what's going on with our country in the front of our minds and to make a difference, as well as prepare for going into this football season, there's so many things. We gotta prioritize what's important."
Priority No. 1 for Fickell is safely getting his players back on campus and that process began Monday, the same day season tickets for the upcoming season went on sale.
Players began reporting in small groups and underwent medical evaluations from the university’s sports medicine staff. That process will continue over the next several days. Fickell, who is entering his fourth season at Cincinnati, said he anticipates the entire team will be back on campus by June 20. Any player who tests positive for COVID-19 will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine, he said.
Coaches are not allowed to physically interact with players until as early as July 13, per NCAA guidelines, so the next few weeks will consist of voluntary workouts and making sure players are healthy and in shape for the upcoming push toward the season.
"There’s a lot of work on our doctors, trainers and strength staff to do what these guys need to get them ready for some of those next phases," Fickell said.
Starting July 13, coaches can resume organized team workouts, weight training, film study, etc. July 22 marks the day Fickell and his coaching staff can have 20 hours per week with their players. That period will last for six weeks.
Fickell, 46, who is a father of six, with his oldest set to be a senior at Moeller High School, said the toughest part about the last few weeks is having to be so distant from his players and relying solely on Zoom Video Communications while protests continue to break out nationwide following the death of George Floyd.
"It's really hard," Fickell said. "As we've all gotten decent with the ability to be able to do the Zoom and figure out how we're doing things, it's still hard to get a good feel to look in a guy's eyes to see what's really inside their heart when you're not around them. I felt really bad not having the chance to be around the guys for me as well as for them. To be a voice, to be an ear, to learn."
Fickell said he had a team meeting and individual meetings with each of his coaches via video conferencing to talk about the recent protests and calls for justice and social equality.
"It's been a great opportunity for us to at least find out more about each other," he said. "Sometimes you gotta read what a guy posts to maybe know a little bit better of what's in his heart and in his mind because they might not always say it. It's given me an opportunity to open some windows for me to reach out and have some of those difficult conversations that are really what you need to grow a relationship."
The team also took to social media to show solidarity and support for the protests. Several players and coaches posted at the same time on June 1 with "#BearcatsUnited" included in their posts.
"What you do together matters," Fickell said. "Whether it's trying to straighten and correct social injustices, to me, the strength comes in doing things together."