When it comes to trying to mitigate the impact COVID-19 has on their rosters this fall, 85 was always going to be an important number for all 14 football teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
At least it was supposed to be.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said during the league’s annual kickoff event in July that half the teams had already hit a vaccination rate of at least 85%, which, for teams that reached it, would lend itself to less stringent COVID-19 protocols during the season. The conference released those updated guidelines for fall sports last month, which include one test per week for unvaccinated individuals on teams that reach that threshold, testing three times a week for unvaccinated individuals on teams that don’t and no surveillance testing requirements for those who are vaccinated.
Clemson officially added to the number of teams that have met that threshold during fall camp when head coach Dabo Swinney said his team had hit an 85% vaccination rate. So the Tigers are good in terms of not needing their vaccinated players to be tested, right?
Not exactly.
Knowing breakthrough cases can still occur in vaccinated individuals, the ACC is requiring testing for all players if a team has a “cluster” that becomes infected simultaneously (the ACC defines a cluster as at least three players or 5% of a team’s roster, whichever is greater). But even if that fine print weren’t included in the updated protocols, Clemson is requiring students to be tested weekly during the fall semester regardless of their vaccination status, which takes precedence.
“While we all hoped this pandemic would be behind us, the Delta variant has revived the need for us to take proactive measures to protect our Clemson community,” Clemson President Jim Clements wrote in an email to students last month.
It’s a policy that will theoretically catch every active case among Clemson’s players and help mitigate the spread of the virus within the team while keeping sick players off the field. It could also work against the Tigers if asymptomatic players who otherwise wouldn’t have been tested have to be held out when many of Clemson’s counterparts aren’t having to do the same.
Clemson is in the minority when it comes to its testing mandate. Ten of the 14 ACC schools are either requiring only non-vaccinated students to be tested regularly or recommending it instead of mandating it. Only one on Clemson’s schedule, Boston College, is also requiring all of its students to be tested weekly (Syracuse is requiring it for fully vaccinated students only when they’re randomly chosen for surveillance testing).
Of course, not every situation is the same. Some states prohibit testing mandates while some continue to deal with case numbers that are higher than others. In South Carolina, for example, the state’s health department has announced 11,469 new confirmed cases over the last three days with a positivity rate at or exceeding 15% during that span. Since Aug. 21, individuals ages 11-20, which include those of college age, have accounted for the most new cases in the state, Dr. Jonathan Knoche, a medical consultant for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, told the media this week.
The University of South Carolina, which is back on Clemson’s schedule this season after last year’s hiatus, is also requiring all students to be tested regularly, though it will be monthly rather than each week. The Tigers’ other in-state non-conference opponent, South Carolina State, is requiring weekly testing for all of its residential students.
That’s why, when contacted by TCI on Thursday afternoon, a source within Clemson’s athletic department didn’t express frustration over a policy that could make some of the Tigers’ players unavailable any given week even if they’re vaccinated and symptom-free.
“What’s happening in Syracuse, New York, may not be the case here in Clemson, South Carolina,” the source said.
Clemson dealt with its share of COVID-19 hits last season, most notably quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was forced to sit two games. Receiver Justyn Ross’ return to practice last month after receiving full medical clearance following corrective spinal fusion surgery was delayed a week as he went through COVID-19 protocols, and there are rumblings Clemson could be without at least one starter for Saturday’s opener against Georgia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Swinney on Wednesday would not confirm or deny that defensive tackle Tyler Davis could be held out because of COVID-19 protocols. TCI has not been able to independently confirm Davis whether or not Davis has been inoculated, though Swinney said earlier in the week there are “very few” players who haven’t been vaccinated at this point.
Backup receiver Brannon Spector revealed on social media Thursday that he won’t be suiting up this weekend as he continues to deal with some respiratory issues stemming from a bout of COVID-19 he battled in the spring. Spector spent part of fall camp in COVID-19 protocols and also dealt with a bum shoulder.
Odds are, many teams will once again have to juggle roster management to some extent in the face of a pandemic that’s still prevalent in America. Time will tell if Clemson will feel the impact more than most.
Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!
