Georgia Tech begins mandatory football training

Wearing masks and practicing social distancing, Georgia Tech began mandatory training sessions Wednesday in advance of the planned start of preseason practice in August.

By rules instituted by the NCAA for this season, teams are able to conduct up to 20 hours of required activities per week, beginning Wednesday and concluding Aug. 4, after which preseason camp can begin.

Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins addresses his team at a summer training session July 22, 2020.

That includes up to six hours of on-field work for walk-throughs, which may include the use of a football. For Wednesday’s practice, Yellow Jackets players dressed in jerseys and shorts and worked out inside the Brock Football Practice Facility and on Alexander Rose Bowl Field, according to photos released by the Tech communications office. It was the first time that they had gone through actual football drills under the supervision of Tech coach Geoff Collins and his staff since the coronavirus pandemic halted spring practice in March.

During drills when players weren’t able to stand six feet apart, masks were required, according to a team spokesman. That included periods where players lined up in formations.

Aside from the six hours of on-field training, teams can mandate up to eight hours of weight training and conditioning and up to six hours for meetings.