For a few weeks now we have been wondering what the decision on letting college football play was going to be. Some conferences have agreed to play football and others have cancelled their 2020 fall season. All of these decisions to play or not have been caused due to COVID-19. The Ohio Valley Conference has decided to postpone the 2020 football season. Here at Tennessee Technological University we are a part of the OVC. Imagine all the players bummed out or even mad about not being able to play. The publication sat down and talked to two freshman football players here at the university and got their insight on some things. The two freshmen that I talked to are Isaac Cross and Jyron Gilmore.
What are some of your thoughts coming to Tennessee Tech as an athlete?
“You know generally freshmen have a hard work load. I’d say generally probably just because they are not used to the flow of things. So I was kind of expecting that, and with COVID it’s just been a little different than I expected. Overall it’s been pretty good, nothing too unbearable.” – Isaac Cross
“It felt pretty good because it was something that I always dreamed of, always wanting to go to college and play football. When I found that opportunity it was kind of surreal to be honest” – Jyron Gilmore
What were some of your first thoughts when you heard the OVC postponed the season?
“At the beginning some of the bigger conferences were cancelling like the BIG 10 and we knew since they were cancelling we would probably either postpone, cancel, or do something. We were just waiting, and we were the last conference to make a decision. They ended up postponing and honestly I would [have] loved to play this fall,
but I’m just trying to take it as a positive thing and use this time as a freshman to learn the playbook and the pace of college athletics.” – Isaac Cross
What are some of the CDC guidelines that y’all are using concerning practices?
“There are limitations to the number of hours and the types of practices that we are allowed to have, but we are working out and lifting throughout the week and we have some positional meetings and a little bit of work on the field.” – Isaac Cross
“In the weight room we can barely be next to each other, we have one workout partner. When we change our weights we have to pull our masks up. When we condition it’s kind of normal, but when coach talks to us and we’re in a huddle we have to pull our masks up. On the weekends and stuff we can’t party or nothing, we are not supposed to go to other people’s rooms and be in a room with a lot of people, because if one person gets COVID and everyone will get sent home.” – Jyron Gilmore
As a freshman do you think that you will see the turf at all within your freshman year?
“That is the goal. I will definitely do my best to make sure that the guys that are starting right now get the best scout team. I want to work my hardest and just try to learn the play book like the back of my hand to where if Coach Johnson sees that I should be in there playing then that’s what I’ll do” – Isaac Cross
“I believe in the springtime the OVC will make a schedule for us to be able to play, but if not I think we will definitely play next fall for sure. I think that I have a high chance of playing as a freshman personally.” – Jyron Gilmore
