College football players skipping the season for the NFL draw – is this the start of a new trend?

There is so much uncertainty and fear now, a Power 5 soccer player said when he left his apartment earlier this month for an afternoon workout on campus.

The player, who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity, was recently in a meeting with school and conference officials to discuss a return to practice amid the coronavirus pandemic and got away feeling there was no clear plan.

“Personally,” he said, “I don’t think there’s the right protocol for us to play it safe. When I’m real, it’s about making money. “

That is, for the schools and conferences. The players, he said, feel like guinea pigs.

The player is a possible first or second round draft pick, and is thinking about his NFL future. He wants to play this season, but he is keenly aware of the risk associated with the coronavirus and is not comfortable with it at all.

He does not want to test positive and must miss two to three games because of a mandatory quarantine of at least 14 days. And in the same vein, he’s not sure how much he trusts his teammates to report their symptoms, for fear of losing game time.

He is concerned about possible long-term consequences, such as reduced lung capacity.

Even if they are lucky and there are no outbreaks, he sees another threat: the lack of a traditional off-season conditioning program.

“There is a certain timeline that it takes to prepare for the season, and throwing kids out is a risk of injury,” he said.

If his conference takes place this fall, he will not feel safe about it. But it is a risk that he says he has to take for fear that his stock will increase.

However, the possibility of a spring season is another matter.

“I was going to leave,” he said. “I don’t feel it would be smart to participate in spring and participate in the design.”

The risk of injuries combined with the fast turnaround time for pre-design events is simply too great.

“I don’t know if the risk is as high as the reward,” he said. “I think a lot of boys would rather sit outside than play.”

As conferences continue to struggle with the viability of college football in the midst of a global pandemic, players, agents and athletic trainers watch the calendar towards fall, see coronavirus outbreaks across the country and they’re getting antsy. Decision time comes for everyone and they are preparing to take a step sooner rather than later.

The first big domino fell on Wednesday. Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley, a potential first-round pick, announced that he chose the season to prepare for the 2021 NFL draw.

Multiple sources said that a number of pro prospects are already considering the possibility of leaving university to prepare for the NFL concept. A delayed season can wrap them up. And a spring season? Forget it. An old agent said that players are already nervous and that there is “no chance” that most of the first round prospects would play under those conditions as long as the draft calendar persists and many second and third round prospects will probably follow suit.

“If you make a bona fide choice in the first lap and you’re so close to the finish line, are you really putting yourself at risk?” said the agent, adding that if you are in the position of a Trevor Lawrence, Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle, you ‘have absolutely nothing to gain’.

CJ LaBoy, an agent at Wasserman, said college football is asking players to take a “boat load risk” under the current circumstances. Without a vaccine and without a clear plan for a safe return to football, players become anxious and consider withdrawing from school and getting a head start on training. LaBoy said he had those discussions with players and their families, and many want to do something “right now.”

LaBoy said he hopes agents will not chase players’ fears and rush them to an irrevocable decision. After all, it is in the interest of an agent to close as many prospects as possible. LaBoy knows it is happening. Another agent, speaking to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, said the pitch is simple: leave the school now so I can put you in a nice apartment in a sunny state where you can train and become a professional.

The appeal cannot be denied. After all, if they are taking online classes anyway, what would it hurt to do it off campus like any other student?

Mo Wells, who works with draft hope volunteers at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, said in the past month he has heard of “quite a few” about getting their clients to the training facility early. He and staff are already putting together packages for that opportunity, providing a bubble environment where players can train in the most modern gyms.

“It’s more like when than like,” Wells said.

EXOS, a leader in NFL combination training, also began to prepare for that opportunity after phone calls from various agents and advisors. Prospects typically train at its facilities for eight weeks, but according to Trent Wilfinger, senior vice president of the sports division, the company has already drawn up a blueprint for what an extended stay would look like.

Michigan’s former tight-knit ending Jake Butt tries to put herself in the position of a current junior or senior in college and beats what must be a tough decision. The uncertainty he currently faces as a member of the Denver Broncos is difficult enough, he said, “but those guys aren’t getting paid.”

Butt knows better than anyone the risk of playing when the tour is on the horizon. He tore his ACL in his last game as Wolverine and saw his stock drop. The former Mackey Award winner was eventually selected in the fifth round, which he said “cost a lot of money”.

Given that every option is something concept hoppers should do, and there won’t be a straightforward approach, Butt said. But if the NFL calendar doesn’t change and the college season gets delayed, he said his advice to potential candidates would be to consider not playing.

“The consciousness part is big,” he said. “Children used to say that I would play for my school and play to win the game and the pride. But man, there is now life-changing money involved and there is a risk to it. “

An NFL manager said that “in some cases” it would be understandable if players decide to sit out.

“It’s really just an extension of the bowl games we’ve seen in recent years,” he said. “We are also preparing for the possibility that no one will play in 2020. Ultimately, however, we are practicing and playing football. What do they do if they don’t play? How do they get better? It’s difficult to improve yourself if all your teammates playing. In reality there are only a few players who can get away with it. Most would benefit from the release of extra film. “

Lead scouts from different teams say they have or will review every major player in the past two years. They tape every game and will isolate matchups and players, and they can rely on scouting services like BLESTO, which includes about six NFL teams in a talent evaluation pool, to help with background information.

The pre-design evaluation circuit could become even more important and would likely expand with varying talent, from stars to undiscovered prospects. The Senior Bowl would strongly consider bringing in juniors and could extend the event to two weeks to show more players. That would require a formal request to the NFL, which could keep the offseason calendar intact with the bowl competitions and the combine, but adjust the draft dates if necessary.

In other words, there are options other than staying in school.

An experienced SEC starter who, according to coaches, has pro-potential but is not a likely choice for the first or second round, told ESPN that he had some unanswered questions about security protocols. He was concerned about traveling to play at potential hotspots for the virus and what prospective opponents would be about their positive cases. Anyway, he said he wouldn’t be playing in the spring. He has sustained a serious injury once in his career and said the idea of ​​another injury so close to the trek carries too much risk.

Seeing so many NFL players opting out of the upcoming season only sheds more light on the realities of playing during a pandemic.

“There is a renaissance going on in the sport with the younger generation and an understanding of the influence they have and the strength they have and the influence they have, and they understand how the system is set up,” said LaBoy. “They are the talent. It is the entertainers who earn money for their schools. They don’t make money from it, and boys don’t like that. They’re not going to compromise their livelihoods for the good of Whatever University. These children are considerably smarter than they get. ‘

He added, “There will be players who put their hands in the air and say, ‘I’m tired of this. I’m already putting my body on the line. I’m not going to take any more chances.’ … You will see players start to defect and jump. “

And once that happens, all bets are turned off. Because while there may be only a select few security-winning picks in college football at the moment, there are many more players who see themselves in the same light, and there are agents and advisers who are happy to encourage them to bet on themselves and leave school early.

Ultimately, there is still time, and the uncertainty driving so many of these conversations is also what keeps players from making a decision.

An argument needs to be made, especially made by Oklahoma’s coach, Lincoln Riley, that a spring season could actually have a positive effect on the pros.

“If the NFL is playing in the fall now, I promise they would be happy to send their head coaches and coordinators to actually come out and watch these guys playing football games,” he said. “I spoke to some NFL head coaches who like that idea. I think it would be fine from an evaluation point of view and of course you should do something with the concept. ”

Conditions may improve. Maybe a season can be played in the fall. Or maybe it’s spring and the NFL is pushing back or holding on.

Anything can happen, but one thing is certain: the clock is ticking.

And Caleb Farley has just made the first move.