What the UIL Pushing Back High School Football Means for the Texas Longhorns

The body that governs high school football in the state of Texas will push the start of football back to the end of September for the state's largest classification of schools. What does that mean for the Texas Longhorns?

The University Interscholastic League (the body that governs high school football in the state of Texas) will push the start of football back to the end of September for the state's largest classification of schools.

The state's 5A and 6A schools will start football practice on Sept. 7 and begin the season on Sept. 24. All district contests will have to be finished by Dec. 5 to begin the postseason. The 5A and 6A state title games have been pushed into January, though a date has yet to be set for those contests. 

As of now Classes 1A-4A will play their respective seasons as planned. 

What does this mean for the University of Texas?

This will likely have some major effects on the 2021 recruiting cycle. Eleven of the Longhorns 13 current verbal pledges are from the state of Texas. More than that, nine of those players play in Class 5A or above. Only safety commit JD Coffey (Kennedale, 4A) and running back pledge Jonathon Brooks (Hallettsville, 3A) are scheduled to start on time right now. 

The Dec. 5 finish date for the regular season won't be a big deal, nor will playing playoff games through the rest of the month by most standards. Where players may run into major issues comes with the state title games in January. 

If these games are played after the enrollment date for college, some of these players are going to have to make some major decisions when it comes to starting college early or playing in what would be the biggest game of their young lives up to that point. Of those nine recruits, several are playing for legitimate contenders for state championships. 

This decision, those coming from states like California, Florida and others, are bound to affect the recruiting cycle for most teams in the country. It will be interesting to see how the NCAA responds as it simultaneously tackles its own timeline to start the season. 

One thing seems for certain at this point, this will be a year unlike any other in many ways for football fans of every level.

Check out the UIL's full press release below.  

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is presenting modifications to the 2020-2021 UIL calendar and updated COVID-19 risk mitigation guidelines, set to take effect August 1, 2020.
The modifications to the 2020-2021 calendar differ by activity and conference and can be found on the UIL website and in the chart below. These adjustments reflect the public health situation at this time and the varying numbers of COVID-19 cases across different geographic areas of the state. This plan provides a delay for schools in highly-populated metro areas, primarily conferences 5A-6A, given the challenges with COVID-19 those communities are facing, while providing schools in other areas, primarily 1A-4A, an opportunity to start seasons on schedule. Acknowledging the situation is not always clear-cut and that COVID-19 affects every community differently, the plan also allows for local flexibility and encourages districts to plan for possible interruptions in order to complete district seasons.
Additionally, the COVID-19 risk mitigation guidelines for the 2020-2021 school year can be found at this link. This includes guidance around face coverings, general operations and protocol for individuals confirmed or exposed to COVID-19, congregate settings (band halls, locker rooms, etc.), practice and rehearsal activities, spectators and media, and concession stands and food service.
These guidelines are in addition to guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and intended to be implemented along with TEA guidance, which applies to UIL academic activities and extracurricular non-UIL activities.
With the understanding that not all schools will be able to start at the same time, this plan allows for schools to make playing decisions at the local level, and the UIL will work directly with schools that have scheduling issues not addressed in this plan to allow them flexibility to complete as many contests as possible.
“Our goal in releasing this plan is to provide a path forward for Texas students and schools,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “While understanding situations change and there will likely be interruptions that will require flexibility and patience, we are hopeful this plan allows students to participate in the education-based activities they love in a way that prioritizes safety and mitigates risk of COVID-19 spread.”
UIL will continue to work with state officials and monitor CDC and other federal guidance to determine any potential modifications that may become necessary.