An outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases within the LSU football program has caused this Saturday’s matchup between the Tigers and visiting Alabama of being in danger of not being played.
Multiple players, including starters, will be unavailable, coach Ed Orgeron said on Monday. Some have tested positive, while the majority are out as a result of contact tracing.
Testing has left the program thin at quarterback, and the number of quarantined players includes starters on offense, defense and special teams, a source told ESPN.
The school has been in contact with the SEC office as it continues to monitor the situation. As of Monday morning, the game against Alabama was still set to be played.
Orgeron called it a “fluid situation” heading into the next round of testing on Tuesday but would not provide an exact number of players who will be missing.
“It’s going to be challenging with the guys that are out,” Orgeron said.
According to SEC protocol, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for at least 10 days. Anyone deemed to be a high-risk contact must quarantine for 14 days.
The outbreak reportedly stems from a party held on Halloween night in Baton Rouge that some players attended after getting back from Auburn where the Tigers were manhandled in a 48-11 loss to Gus Malzahn’s team.
LSU has already had one game postponed due to COVID-19 as its matchup against Florida that was originally scheduled for Oct. 17 has been rescheduled to Dec. 12. If the game against Alabama has to be postponed, the Tigers will not have an open date to play a makeup game against the Tide.