In the ever-changing COVID-19 situation there have been reports of leagues cancelling football like the Ivy League. The Big Ten and PAC 12 conferences have decided to cancel all non-conference games. We await the announcements from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC to follow suit. At least that is the current expectation.
What about the Junior College circuit? How are they handling fall sports, specifically football? According to Max Olson of the Athletic, Juco football will be played in the spring*.
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The National Junior College Athletic Association is expected to announce Monday that it will move to a spring football season, two head coaches told The Athletic. Teams would play up to eight games with preseason practices beginning on March 1 and the regular season beginning at the end of March and extending through the end of May.
The NJCAA is the first college league to move their football season to the spring officially.
“We would like to play football this fall,” Parker said. “But I think from a national perspective, moving it is probably the right decision holistically.”
This is unfamiliar territory on the college recruiting front. As Max Olson mentions in his article, schools will have to make decisions on players they won’t even play this upcoming year. Almost a blind decision for major universities. The Longhorns are no strangers to Juco recruiting but this will be new for all parties involved.
Tyler Junior College head coach Thomas Rocco mentioned trying to have a few scrimmages in the fall. That would put some of these players on film and help the major colleges make decisions.