NCAA Approves Preseason Football Model; Illini Training Camp Can Begin On Aug. 6

The Illinois football program now has a date coaches and players can point to symbolizing the start of preseason practices.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois football program now has a date coaches and players can point to symbolizing the start of preseason practices.

The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a six-week preseason practice model for teams preparing for the 2020 college football season. This model was originally proposed by the Division I Football Oversight Committee.

DI Council approves football preseason model: https://t.co/dDIPVG1GCO pic.twitter.com/R7fUesil44

— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) June 17, 2020

According to the NCAA ruling, football players participate in up to eight hours of weight training, conditioning and film review per week from July 12-22. The film review sessions are prohibited from exceeding two hours per week.

Football players may be required to participate in up to 20 hours of sport-related activities per week from July 23-Aug. 5. These activities may not exceed four hours per day. The 20 hours include up to eight hours per week for weight training and conditioning, up to six hours per week for walk-through practices that may include the use of a football. These 20-hour activities period may also include up to six hours per week for meetings. Those may include film review, team meetings, position meetings and one-on-one, coach-player meetings.

During this 14-day period from July 23 to Aug. 5, football players are required to get at least two days off. Under this approved preseason model, Illinois football can open preseason camps on Aug. 6. For teams opening their season on Saturday, Sept. 5, preseason practices can begin on Aug. 7 but Illinois will be allowed to start these preseason activities a day earlier than the published date by the NCAA because the Illini are slated to open the 2020 schedule on the night of Friday, Sept. 4 against Illinois State.

In a Zoom video conference with reporters Tuesday, Illinois junior defensive tackle Jamal Woods and junior wide receiver Donny Navarro both said they’re assuming the college football season will start on time.

University of Illinois athletics officials have refused to release numbers or specific names of players that have returned to the Champaign-Urbana campus for the voluntary summer workouts currently being orchestrated. However, veteran Illini players reported last week, and, according to social media, the freshmen players began to report this week. U of I athletics officials are also refusing, citing medical privacy laws as the formal reason, to report any positive COVID-19 tests.

“We’re taking all the steps necessary to start the season on time,” Navarro said. “We’re going to prepare like we’re going to play. Testing is going to be important. Following all the public health recommendations and things like that, we’re going to have to continue to do that, but our mind is set on preparing like Sept. 4 is going to happen. That’s the only thing we can do. We can only control what we can control.”