We all have been patiently waiting for the Southeastern Conference to reveal its plan for the coming football season following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to South Carolina AD Ray Tanner, we may have to wait several more weeks before a formalized plan is announced.

In recent days, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has continued to express the league’s plan is to move forward as scheduled, but has noted several different scenarios are being discussed internally.

Based on a recent statement from Tanner, that is an accurate assessment as the SEC isn’t planning on announcing a formalized plan until August.

Here is the key portion of a letter wrote by Tanner shared by the official South Carolina Athletics website:

“At this point, we do not know what the 2020 football season will look like. Our goal is to communicate the plan for the season in early August. We want to be able to gather as much information as possible, working with the SEC office and the member institutions before any decisions are made.

“These are challenging, and, yes, agonizing times. As a coach and administrator, my vow is to provide student-athletes with the resources to compete at the highest level, whether it be in their sports, in the classroom, in the community, or in life.

“As your Athletics Director, I am taking part in regular meetings with President Caslen and campus planning groups as well as Commissioner Sankey and the Southeastern Conference ADs. These groups have the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans are the most important pieces of the puzzle. We all want to get you the best and most accurate information as soon as we can as we move forward with challenging and difficult decisions.

“I will never give up pursuing what our program needs to adequately represent the student-athletes, coaches and staff, fans, and the University with class, dignity, and victory. Be safe and healthy this summer and do your part in stopping the spread of this virus, including social distancing and wearing your Gamecock-branded face coverings.”

Tanner’s letter can be read in its entirety over at Gamecocksonline.