Positive COVID-19 tests have dominated the recent college football news cycle. After Houston closed voluntary workouts following 6 student-athletes positive tests with symptoms, there have been reports of double-digit positive tests at other programs, including Clemson, Texas and LSU. Kansas State has also paused voluntary workouts after 14 positive tests.

With those reports, it’s not surprising that Yahoo Sports writer Pete Thamel’s latest article has the headline “Will there be college football? A new flurry of pessimism has arrived.”

In the article, Thamel writes, “Yahoo Sports reached out to more than 20 athletic directors, coaches and administrators in the aftermath of the Clemson news to gauge what the flurry of positive test numbers mean for the sport’s future.” While many of those ADs, coaches and administrators are quoted anonymously, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin and Clemson AD Dan Radakovich are quoted by name. Both acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation moving forward.

“Until we have medicine that gives people confidence about resuming activities or we get comfortable enough where we don’t flinch every time we see a new case count, it’s going to be hard to play,” Stricklin told Thamel. “It’s like every nerve is exposed on this topic.”

Earlier this month, UF made associate athletics director of sports health Stacy Higgins available for a media opportunity. In that Q&A, she told reporters that 87 football players had been tested with 80 players testing negative while 7 tests were still pending. More recently, head coach Dan Mullen met with media members via Zoom. When asked about coronavirus test results, he said he would leave those announcements to medical staff.

“I leave a lot of that up to the medical staff, which I’m going to do,” Mullen said Tuesday per Bob Redman of Swamp247. “You know I don’t want to overstep my bounds on that, but I am proud of the responsibility our guys have had or what they’ve taken in trying to follow all the social distancing rules that we do, and how to learn.”

Radakovich indicated that a bumpy summer might be necessary for a fall season.

“It’s a Rubik’s Cube of how you’re moving through all this,” he told Thamel by phone. “It’s very difficult right now. I almost think it’s part of the process to get us where we need to be.”