Spring practice rolls on as campus life comes to a halt
Missouri was about an hour into the third practice of spring football when everything else on campus came to a half. The University announced in a news release that in-person classes would be immediately suspended for the rest of the week. Next week's classes will be held remotely and Mizzou students are then on spring break for nine days. Classes are tentatively scheduled to resume on Monday, March 30.
The school release also cancelled all "non-essential events" on campus for the foreseeable future, but athletics will continue as planned for the time being. That includes spring football. The Tigers have five more scheduled practice prior to spring break.
Missouri also has recruiting visits planned, both bringing prospects to campus and hitting the road for evaluation when possible. Those plans also remain unchanged.
"Coach (Eli) Drinkwitz has done a great job being prudent here and we're doing a great job of being proactive," recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach Casey Woods said. "As long as there's open travel, we've got to recruit. That's the end game on this deal is making sure we do a great job with that. Now we are not going to be out of control.
"I think we're aware of it, I think we're being prudent with it, but we're still going to do our jobs right now."
There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Mizzou campus as of now, though a group was part of a journalism conference in New Orleans where the was one "presumptive positive" case among the attendees (not a Mizzou student).
But as the outbreak brings events--athletic and otherwise--to a halt across the country, we asked a few of the Tiger coaches what they would do if they were quarantined for two weeks.
"Oh man," quarterbacks and wide receivers coach Bush Hamdan said. "I don't know if we've had two weeks off at one time in a long time."
"Fortunately we get to practiced football," Woods said. "Gosh, I don't know what I'd do with two weeks off and no football."
"Tape," linebackers coach D.J. Smith said. "We've still got electricity, right?"
Wide receiver Barrett Banister has his plans in place should he find himself.
"Lot of Call of Duty," Banister said. "I'd probably go grab my putter and wedge and try to figure out that. Try and get as good a putting stroke as I can get in two weeks.
"It doesn't sound as fun now that you mention it."
For now, the Tigers are still on the practice field carrying on as normal, even if they won't have to get up and go to class in the morning. The next practice is schedule for Friday afternoon at 3:30.
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