Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve heard plenty of pundits, administrators and coaches weigh in on when players will resume football activities in preparation for next season. Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News reached out to a Texas A&M staffer who can share some insight from a health perspective: Aggies director of athletic training Dan Jacobi.

While fans want to see football return as soon as possible, Jacobi cautioned against rushing to get back on the gridiron.

“If you try to rush that too much, that increases injury rates and puts our student-athletes at risk,” Jacobi said. “If we don’t do enough to get them ready, that leaves them predisposed to more injuries in the season.”

Aside from spring practice, players typically spend most of the offseason in the weight room with the strength coach and participating in player-run practices. Jacobi noted the obvious: players aren’t able to train at the same level while away from campus.

“For the most part our athletes have limited access to stay in shape,” Jacobi said. “From my standpoint, from a medical standpoint, I think we have to be prepared for that whenever we get back on campus.

“This will probably be different than the normal student-athlete who comes back off of a break we’re used to. I think we’re really going to have to assess readiness when they get back on campus and where they are as a team.”

While the next football season will undoubtedly be different, a consensus seems to be forming among coaches that a brief acclimation period will be able to get teams ready despite the missed spring (and, possibly, summer) workouts.

More from Jacobi’s peers in the Lone Star State can be be found in Carlton’s full article.