Fresno State resets football timeline while awaiting CSU approval to return to workouts

For Fresno State, Monday was supposed to be the day. The Bulldogs were to report to campus, take a coronavirus test, head into quarantine for seven days and on July 13, when allowed by the NCAA to start eight hours per week of mandatory workouts and film review, they would be ready to go.

But Fresno State as well as San Diego State and San Jose State remain in a holding pattern, waiting for the California State University and state officials to approve plans to get student-athletes back on campus.

The plan now?

CSU and state approval could come at any time, clearing the way to return to the practice field. But for now Fresno State according to department sources is hoping to be set to go by July 27 when the NCAA bumps its mandatory workouts to 20 hours a week of strength and conditioning, walk-throughs, meetings and film review.

That would then take the Bulldogs into fall camp, which they have scheduled to start on Aug. 7.

They could be well behind by that point, given they had to cancel spring practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have had no voluntary workouts and it appears now they will miss the first two weeks of mandatory workouts.

But the pandemic is not slowing and a CSU spokesperson said last week the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in a given region will likely impact its decision making on a return date. The number of cases popping up at schools in the Mountain West Conference and across the country also is a concern – in the Mountain West, Boise State and UNLV have had to suspend workouts due to positive tests.

The central San Joaquin Valley is up to more than 15,000 positive coronavirus cases and 262 related deaths. San Diego County also has had a high number of COVID-19 cases, with more than 16,700.