Florida State football, recruiting news: Chaos in college football

Coronavirus:

Yesterday was a rollercoaster in college football. It started with news late Sunday night from Dan Patrick that the Big 10 Conference presidents had voted 12-2 to postpone or cancel the season.

After that news broke, overnight the disparate groups of players in conferences around the country connected over social media. Dallas Hobbs, a player with Washington State, crafted a graphic that was released by Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Darien Rencher that many people woke up to Monday morning, and was eventually retweeted by the president:

It represents a monumental shift in collegiate sports - in it the players ask for health and safety protocols and express an intent to create a collective players association. Due to a National Labor Relations Board ruling several years ago when Northwestern players led by Kain Colter attempted to unionize, it appears players aren’t actually able to unionize. However, the players appear to have other options that could serve the same effect and it seems they intend to pursue it.

Then later in the morning the Detroit Free Press reported that the Big 10 had indeed canceled the season. However, it was later determined that the vote was over medical protocols.

But it was already enough to cause a backlash of sorts. Nebraska’s Scott Frost also went on TV and stated that if the Big 10 did cancel the season that Nebraska would explore temporarily joining other conferences in order to play. There were unconfirmed rumors that other Big 10 teams would do the same. An outpouring of support from other Power 5 coaches and players also expressing a desire to play the season swamped social media for most of the day.

Later in the afternoon the Mountain West Conference confirmed it would postpone the season anyway to at least the spring, joining the Mid-American Conference from a few days earlier:

For the conferences that have already postponed their season, a significant factor has reportedly been heart issues detected in players that previously were infected with COVID, and it may be what’s causing the delay in Power 5 conferences deciding what to do, per ESPN:

Conference officials and athletic directors told ESPN that the uncertainty about the long-term effects of myocarditis has been discussed in meetings of presidents and chancellors, commissioners and athletic directors, and health advisory board members from the Big Ten, Pac-12 and other conferences around the country. Last week, college administrators saw a Facebook post from Debbie Rucker, mother of Indiana offensive lineman Brady Feeney, who wrote that her son was dealing with potential heart problems after battling COVID-19.

People can get myocardial inflammation, feel fine and never know it, Dr. Jonathan Drezner, director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology said. He said most athletes who get myocarditis will be able to safely return to sports after a restriction of activity for three to six months. But he said that in some cases, the inflammation can turn to scar tissue and put the patient at risk for an irregular heartbeat that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, which can be triggered by exercise.

It’s really a must-read article, as it also details some of the specifics of how schools will screen for the condition. There were also reports that if the conferences did cancel their seasons players would stay on campus and continue to practice.

The ACC athletic directors were originally scheduled to meet Wednesday but pushed up their meeting to yesterday, and afterwards indicated an intent to continue to try and play the season:

The Sun Belt also formally expressed a desire to play the season. The Pac-12 reportedly met last night and will vote today, while Big 10 athletic directors also met last night:

Football:

Bookmark this: until they say otherwise we will continue to bring you practice reports, analysis, and coach and player interviews.

On that note, our resident coach breaks down three (over)reactions from FSU’s first day in pads. These things are pretty great with video clips and everything.

As mentioned above, the players around the country uniting and fighting for their rights is big news,

...and there are several FSU players involved in the movement, including pre-season All-American Marvin Wilson.

Our 4Verts series is back with the breakdown of FSU’s returning quarterbacks. The video was taken down but we’re back up and running, so if you missed it earlier you’re in luck. It’s also excellent.

DC Adam Fuller has been putting a renewed emphasis on takeaways:

Recruiting:

Our Recruiting Thread will keep you up to date.

Jalen Shead, a 2021 tight end who is unranked but has an incredible offer list, released his top 3 teams.

FSU offered massive 2022 OT Kiyaunta Goodwin from Kentucky.

Other Sports:

The reactions to Hamilton landing five-star Jalen Warley and getting a solid lead in the nation’s No. 1 class have rolled in:

Jessica Warren is a legend:

Alumni:

Doing good in the community:

and on the field (also happy birthday!):

to Dalvin Cook and Deion Sanders:

Thompson has had a pretty great pro career: