Charlotte 49ers open preseason football practice with as much normalcy as possible

The Charlotte 49ers’ first practice of August camp looked normal enough Friday. Except for the face masks worn by coaches and staff, there was little indication that things are anything but ordinary around college football and society at large because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But practice the 49ers did, with all the necessary safety protocols in place.

“It felt like it’s been too long,” junior quarterback Chris Reynolds said. “Was it February or March or somewhere out there when we last had our helmets on? Now we’re back out here and it was great. I was so excited. To be around the guys with helmets on and flying around. It was fun.”

The 49ers, coming off the most successful season in program history (7-6 record, first postseason appearance), don’t know who their first game will be against, with September nonconference games against Tennessee and Norfolk State canceled and another against Duke rescheduled for Oct. 31.

“I think that it’s such a unique time,” 49ers coach Will Healy said. “I’ve never had a start of camp feel this way, where you’re answering a lot of questions for your players, even more so than you’re installing any scheme or culture for us right now.

“So it was fun to be able to see them run around and be able to evaluate where our talent is and what our depth looks like.”

The realities of taking precautions due to the pandemic were evident. The 49ers will be tested for the virus every Tuesday during the preseason, and Healy expects tests to also be taken within 72 hours before each game.

“They understand what this is going to look like,” Healy said. “We’re ahead schematically from where we typically are at this point, so it’s just getting used to what our protocol is going to be — in helmets or not, whether they’re staying off the ground of whether it’s 6 feet of spacing. Even monitoring the reps of who goes against whom is different.”

The 49ers had a players-only meeting on Thursday to discuss issues and concerns about playing and practicing in a pandemic.

“We just wanted to make sure everybody’s voices are heard,” said senior defensive end Tyriq Harris, who along with Reynolds called the meeting. “Coach Healy and the staff have done a really good job of listening to us when we feel like we have some concerns, and he’s done everything in his power to make adjustments for us.

“So we just had the meeting to see what people were thinking, how they were feeling and things like that. Just to get an overview and to give some guys some reassurances, as well. Just to understand that, if we want to play football this season — and we will — we’re going to need to bring some positive energy into our team. We’re here to play ball.”

Said Reynolds: “We said, ‘We’ve got to be smart about this, because your decisions affect everything else we do. So if we’re going out, we’re doing what we’re not supposed to do, in effect shutting everything down in a heartbeat. So we’re making sure that we’re on the right track, not traveling around, seeing family and doing that stuff.”

Friday, finally, was all about football.

“The guys were locked in and focused despite all the outside issues that are going on,” Reynolds said. “From day one, they were ready to continue the ascent of this program. Everybody has an idea of what the mission is and what the task is at hand. Everybody’s motivated to take this thing to the next level — winning the conference championship, let’s win the bowl game. We’re starting with that mind-set. Let’s start over and do it again.”

49ers notes

▪ Healy said true freshman running back Elijah Turner (foot) and redshirt freshman linebacker Prince Bemah (knee) are expected to miss several weeks rehabbing injuries. Turner had surgery during the summer on the foot that he injured toward the end of his final high school season in Buford, Georgia. Bemah, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, injured his other knee during voluntary workouts.

▪ Running back Aaron McAllister missed practice for undisclosed reasons.

▪ Healy said the NCAA hasn’t made a decision on the eligibility waiver request for linebacker Derek Boykins, a transfer from South Carolina who played at Central Cabarrus High.

▪ Sophomore receiver Micaleous Elder, who left school last semester, is back with the team.

▪ The biggest guy on Charlotte’s roster is freshman offensive lineman Ty’Kiest Crawford (6-foot-5, 335 pounds). He is also light on his feet, as evidenced by the dance moves he displayed during stretching exercises and position drills. That kind of enthusiasm and energy is completely endorsed and encouraged by Healy and Charlotte’s coaching staff.

▪ Charlotte’s practices, normally open to the public, will be closed indefinitely because of the coronavirus.

▪ Conference USA announced Friday that teams will play their original eight-game league schedules, with up to four nonconference games. The league title game is scheduled for Dec. 5, with the possibility of it moving later.

Charlotte is looking to add to its nonconference schedule that already includes Georgia State (Sept. 26) and Duke. The 49ers’ conference schedule begins Oct. 3 at Florida Atlantic.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 5:44 PM.