West Virginia head coach Neal Brown tuned in to multiple areas

The athletic department and staff has been making preparations for a return to play although admittedly nobody knows how or when that will be. Those decisions won’t be made by Brown, or anybody at West Virginia for that matter, but the head coach is eagerly awaiting word from both the Big 12 Conference and the football oversight committee.

“We’ll have procedures and guidelines in place for that return whenever that is,” he said.

Being in quarantine has taken its toll on coaches and players alike and at this point many of the interested parties just need something to look forward to. While virtual contact has helped, the normal routine has been knocked off the rails due to the spread of COVID-19.

That has put an extra importance on focusing on the metal health of athletes. Structure is such an essential part of their normal preparation for a season and this has essentially thrown things out of whack as players and coaches alike are adjusting to their new normal.

“The last two weeks have been tougher on our guys than the previous six,” he said. “We’re at a point where they really need something to look forward to.”

That has made seeing those players faces Monday-Friday each week to get a pulse on how they are doing more important than ever for the head coach. That means encouraging and making sure they are plugged in doing well on all fronts with all of the different circumstances within the roster.

“I want to see them on one of these meetings when I can look because I know the kids and I can tell if something’s off,” he said. “And if something is off then let’s start asking them questions.”

That is a battle that doesn’t necessarily end and while the Mountaineers are providing support that will continue to be a focus as long as the current situation proceeds.

The only football activities that are permitted for the time being are eight hours per week that can be done virtually. But even meeting that requirement can be challenging when it comes to holding the attention of 18 to 20-year old student athletes.

Brown offers praise for officials for being prudent in their decision making process over the issue of returning to a normal with college football and admits that he too would likely wait as long possible to make any important decisions. For now, all football activities are shut down until May 31.

At West Virginia the focus has been planning what a return to football would look like and creating contingences as well as what at the testing piece would look like.

“The testing piece is where we stat for staff and player return,” he said.

Any return to play model is going to feature medical stuff with testing for the virus as well as the normal testing that players must do when they return. There will be more unknowns and a shorter window to get ready than normal regardless when that will be.

There also will be different levels of physical conditioning for the players when they return to campus which will present challenges in itself.

There’s a lot of work to be done but the planning is being put into place.

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