Auburn football to resume practice minus 16 players due to coronavirus cases

AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers on the sidelines during their game against the Samford Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers on the sidelines during their game against the Samford Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

With the start of the season less than one month away, the Auburn Tigers will return to practice despite 16 players out due to the coronavirus. 

For Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers, this summer has surely been filled with plenty of adversity. With the team trying to get ready for the 2020 SEC season, they’ve also had to deal with plenty of positive coronavirus cases, while trying to keep the team safe as a whole.

Now, with Auburn’s showdown with Kentucky less a month away on Sept. 26, the team is getting ready to hit the practice field despite the concerns and get ready for the year to get going.

That includes returning to the practice field this week, despite 16 players not being able to suit up right away.

The Auburn Tigers have six nine players test positive for the coronavirus this summer

During a press conference on Monday morning, Malzahn confirmed he’ll indeed have his team out for practices, with 16 missing from action. As things stand, nine players had tested positive for the coronavirus, while another seven need to sit out due to contact tracing.

Despite the high amount of players missing in action, Malzahn did say that those players who had tested positive were suffered from little to no symptoms, which of course is a great sign as they work through their recovery.

Malzahn added that the 16 players will be away from football activities for the next 10 days. Should they be cleared to return, that would give them a little under three weeks to get back on the field to prepare for the season-opener.

For now, Malzahn will be without a big chunk of the team, but the hope is they’ll be fully healthy far in advance of Week 1.

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