Coronavirus: Local universities taking action to help student athletes

PITTSBURGH — With everyone from business owners to parents looking for answers these days, coaches at the collegiate level are also no exception.

“I really feel bad for our student athletes and kids. Because one minute we’re telling them one thing and the next minute we’re being communicated something completely different,” said Edinboro head football coach Jake Nulph.

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Like all collegiate coaches, Nulph is always looking for the best high school talent.

But this year, he and many other coaches across the state don’t know if there’s going to be anyone to look at.

Nulph and other coaches have told me the NCAA has given very little direction thus far when it comes to recruiting.

“From an NCAA standpoint, the rules continue to change based off of recruiting so we’re just going to play it by ear,” Nulph said.

But he said there is one avenue they are taking when it comes to looking for talent.

“We’re going to rely heavily on the junior film from the previous season in the 2021 class, that’s what we’ve been evaluating as a staff currently,” Nulph said.

And Nulph said some high schools have even put together combine tapes highlighting the most crucial skills coaches look for.

What about scholarships? Some universities are still deciding what to do.

But Nulph said student athletes in Edinboro will be taken care of.

“Our players scholarships are definitely going to be honored by the institution by Edinboro regardless of what happens,” Nulph said.

That includes all student athletes at the University. In the end, as confusing of a time as this is, he said if decisions are being made with safety as the primary goal, that’s really all that counts.

“As long as they are doing things from a medical standpoint and a safety standpoint, that’s the best you can do,” Nulph said.

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