Will Michigan football happen this year? U-M will make announcement 'in the weeks ahead'

The University of Michigan rolled out its plan for a "public health-informed fall semester" on Monday.

And soon, officials will soon decide whether sports will resume this fall, according to president Mark Schlissel.

"Many student-athletes have already returned to campus for voluntary conditioning activities under strict public health guidelines," Schlissel wrote in a letter to the community. "Michigan Athletics is working with our public health experts and consulting with the Big Ten and NCAA on determining whether our student-athletes can safely return to competition this fall. An announcement will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead."

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Last week, the football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams returned to campus, and the football team began working out Monday.

The university's protocol included testing for COVID-19 and a six-day "resocialization" period. It also calls for daily risk assessments and temperature checks. Upon returning to campus, two of 221 athletes tested positive for coronavirus and were asymptomatic, according to university officials. Other teams around the country have also returned to campus in the past couple weeks, with varying numbers of positive COVID-19 tests. 

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Last week, the NCAA approved a preseason calendar for football as teams began voluntary workouts. Assuming teams begin their seasons as planned, mandatory workouts can begin July 13 (25 days before the first preseason practice), and teams can host eight hours of weight training, conditioning and film review per week up to July 23. Between July 24 and Aug. 6, teams can partake in football activities for up to 20 hours a week, with a daily four-hour limit and at least two days off during the 14-day period. 

While players are back in Ann Arbor and the NCAA moves toward a potential return in the fall, Michigan has yet to announce its intentions. However, Monday's announcement seems to hint that the university will attempt a return to competition — at least based on previous remarks. Schlissel and athletic director Warde Manuel have both said that there would be no sports unless students can return to campus, and Schlissel announced Monday that students would be allowed to live on campus in the fall as the university will offer a combination of in-person and remote classes. 

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"Our plan to conduct an in-person semester relies on basic public health strategies including social distancing, minimizing out-of-area travel, wearing face coverings, washing hands frequently, symptom screening, clinical testing, contact tracing and quarantine that add up to a highly effective way to limit spread of this illness, allowing students to pursue their Michigan education," Schlissel wrote.

If sports are allowed to resume, don't expect the players to live in a controlled environment as some professional leagues, including the NBA. Manuel told reporters that the university would not isolate student-athletes in a "bubble," as Dr. Anthony Fauci — the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — has suggested. 

And like Schlissel, Manuel has intimated that a decision on resuming athletics in the fall should be made in the near future.

“I hope that we can move forward and start competitions in the fall,” Manuel said last week. “I’m hopeful that decision will come toward the end of the month (or) early July."

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.