Fall practice begins for Auburn with no new COVID-19 opt-outs, cases
No new Auburn football players have approached head coach Gus Malzahn about opting out of the 2020 season as of Monday.
So far only two players -- linebacker Chandler Wooten and backup defensive back Travion Leonard -- have chosen to forgo the season.
“We definitely honor and respect that,” Malzahn said on a Zoom call with media Monday afternoon.
Auburn has conducted 863 COVID-19 tests since players arrived on campus June 4, according to the Tigers’ head coach, which amounts to around seven tests per player. The staff was tested five times.
The Tigers saw 33 positive cases from players and one case from a coach over the summer. No positive cases were reported in the team’s most recent batch of testing, which Malzahn said occurred last week.
Four unnamed players are not able to practice initially due to COVID-19 protocol, Malzahn said.
Auburn’s opening week will consist of practices Monday through Thursday, with an off day Friday and a full scrimmage Saturday. Malzahn said the Tigers will do more 11-on-11 scrimmaging “than we’ve ever done before.”
“I’m very proud of our players and staff and the way they’ve handled themselves through this whole time,” Malzahn said. “Once we got back on campus, the way they handled themselves through all the ups and downs over the summer to get to this point, there’s a lot of excitement around our building.”
Notable personnel news
- Australian punter Oscar Chapman arrived in the U.S. on Saturday and is going through an acclimation period.
- Austin Troxell, Kilian Zierer and Alec Jackson are the three contenders for the left tackle spot. Troxell is “ready to go,” while Zierer is “getting close,” Malzahn said.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 4:27 PM.
