University of Hawaii head coach Todd Graham said he is hopeful his football players will be allowed to begin by-appointment workouts at the school’s facilities in June.
Last week, the NCAA’s Division I Council approved a measure that would open on-campus workouts to student-athletes beginning June 1. How or if the voluntary workouts would be implemented rest with government guidelines and UH president David Lassner. But Graham said he hopes some form of on-campus workouts would be available to his players.
“I don’t think anybody anywhere in college football is going to have 50 guys working out (at the same time),” Graham said. “I think it’s going to be small groups, by appointment only. Hopefully that happens here. June 1 is when the NCAA says. So, hopefully, early June we can get our guys back to some form of appointment-only voluntary workout.”
The Warriors were completing offseason conditioning drills when UH essentially closed its campus in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, canceling spring practice and moving classes to online instruction only. Graham has not had an in-person team meeting in more than two months.
But during the restricted period, players have been allowed by-appointment sessions with medical staff and athletic trainers.
“We’re doing that for health and safety if a player gets sick or a player doesn’t feel good and needs treatment,” Graham said. “We have to do that by appointment only. Obviously, it’s a few people at a time. In the near future, we hope to be able to do that with our weight room and getting guys where they can run (on the UH track) by appointment only.”
The past two months, the players have trained on their own, expanding their workouts as restrictions are eased. Graham said physical activity can boost mental health.
“I would like to get out and run around that track a little bit,” Graham said. “I know most people are out. In my neighborhood, people are running up and down the street all day long. People need to exercise for mental health. … We’re not looking at opening our weight room (fully). It’s just by appointment only. I anticipate being able to do that in early part of June, hopefully.”
UH’s Summer Session I opens today, with only online classes. In June, the bridge session begins. That session offers full-credit courses that help new students acclimate to college. Most of the first-year Warriors are enrolled in the bridge program. Summer Session II begins on July 6.
“Hopefully, we’re back to practicing football in the middle to latter part of July,” Graham said. “That’s what I’m hoping for, if things go well. We’re planning for that. It’s a hopeful plan. It’s one that you have to prepare that way because we obviously don’t know what’s going on. But I think things have been tracking in a positive direction throughout the whole country.”