UConn Huskies return to the gridiron after a year off
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (BVM) — After deciding to take the season off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the eager UConn Huskies football team look forward to returning to the field in 2021.聽
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in early February 2020, we began witnessing a nation-wide shut down. Professional sports, collegiate sports, high school sports, and even youth sports had all been affected by the pandemic. Not long after that, we began to see the trend of sports leagues at all levels shutting down, or pausing its seasons. This left a lot more questions than answers for coaches and their athletes.聽
Randy Edsall, head coach of the University of Connecticut football team had to make the difficult decision to not participate in the upcoming 2020 season. After having the conversation with team doctors, athletic trainers, and athletic administration, it was decided that it was the safest route to not compete in the 2020 season.聽
Edsall stated that the number one priority when it comes to his team is health and safety.聽聽
鈥淲e did what was in the best interest of the health, safety, and welfare of our players,鈥� Edsall said of the team鈥檚 decision.聽
When the members of the UConn football team returned to campus for the fall semester, there were early complications that Edsall saw serving as red flags in his decision.聽
鈥淲e ended up having some issues with some of the guys that were in the dormitories,鈥� Edsall said. 鈥淲e had some guys who tested positive, then when you have that combined with the contact tracing, it was one of those things where you knew it was going to be very, very difficult to have a season.
鈥淟ooking at the big picture with everything, I said there鈥檚 no way that we鈥檙e going to be able to get a season in with all these issues that we鈥檙e going to have to deal with. I didn鈥檛 think it would be advantageous for us to play and our athletic department was fully on board with that and the doctors were fully on board with that as well.鈥�
Although missing a season of competition seems disparaging to athletes and coaches, Edsall made it clear his players understood and supported the coaching staff and medical staff鈥檚 decision. The players realized that a season off from competition will allow the previously struggling Huskies to have another year to develop.
Along with the health and safety of its players, college athletic coaches like Edsall had many other things to consider such as recruiting, scholarships, and the possible fear of programs being cut.聽
鈥淥ver the course of the summer we kept seeing schools do away with some of their sports programs,鈥� Edsall said. 鈥淓ven here at UConn we had four sports cut.鈥�
In late March, the NCAA Division I Council voted to grant an extra year of eligibility to all student-athletes in spring sports whose seasons were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The same rules were then applied for both fall and winter sports once its seasons were affected as well, giving the UConn players another year of eligibility.
鈥淲hen you take a look at our program, we鈥檝e had to play a lot of kids early in their freshman year, so they didn鈥檛 get a chance to redshirt,鈥� Edsall said. 鈥淭his year off gives them a chance to develop as players in the weight room and on the field.鈥�
The season off, plus the redshirt year enabled UConn to redshirt its players, much like its opponents do. Having the players jump right into the rigors of Division I college football put the Huskies at a disadvantage for many years. Coach Edsall and the team are confident that this redshirt year for the players will bolster their play.聽
However, with the recent announcement of the NCAA waiver year, it only complicated the logistics of recruiting and giving scholarships to players. UConn is allowed 85 scholarships each year and with players coming back for redshirt seasons. Deciding where to allocate the scholarship money is a whole other game that the coaching staff has to scout for.聽
Although Uconn missed out on a full season of competition, Edsall made it clear that he was happy with their decision.
聽鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt we made the right decision and did what we needed to do,鈥� Edsall said.聽
UConn football strength and conditioning coach Matt King was ecstatic to hear the news, with Edsall mentioning that without a game schedule, his players have more access to the weight room and coaches to get bigger, faster, and stronger.
鈥淔ootball takes a toll on your body,鈥� Edsall said. 鈥淗aving a year off from game contact allowed our players to make more significant improvements to their body than ever before.鈥澛�
While the players are looking forward to returning to Rentschler Field, the fans seem to be just as excited. Early this month, the UConn Athletics Department announced that the Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field expects to be at 100% capacity by the time the 2021 UConn football season starts. This means that tailgating will be allowed. There will also be popular fan attractions, including 鈥淔an Fest,鈥� returning for the start of the UConn Huskies 2021 football season.
The coming season features a lot of new opponents for the Huskies such as the Purdue Boilermakers and three-time national champion Clemson Tigers. The Huskies open up what looks to be a promising 2021 season on the road at Fresno State on Aug. 28th.
