Gamecock football players can return to campus June 8

South Carolina football players will be allowed to return to campus for voluntary in-person workouts on June 8, the school announced on Friday.

The announcement is part of a larger proclamation by the SEC, which is allowing its member institutions to move ahead with summer workouts at their discretion.

Since most football programs would be focusing on strength and conditioning at this point in their offseason calendar, the assumption is that such activities can be carried out safely while social distancing and with ample use of sanitary measures. This return to campus is intended largely as a transition period for the players to safely ramp back up, as they missed spring workouts and have otherwise been idle during the coronavirus pandemic.

Players will, of course, be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, and athletic director Ray Tanner is pretty confident about the plans USC has in place:

“We are excited to have our student-athletes back on campus. Their health, safety and well-being are our number one priority. Our staff and medical team have developed a thorough set of protocols that exceed CDC guidelines and will help our student-athletes through the transition back to campus.”

There you have it, folks — another step on the road back to normalcy, at least within the world of sports. As always, to be continued...