When summer turns to survival: Depth crisis — hello, injury bug — hits college football amid portal era

College coaches have never been busier, but when the spring turns to summer and temperatures rise, they’re at their most comfortable. 

It’s then — and only then — rosters across the country are finalized. No transfer portal can rob rosters, no signing day can rip away commitments. During those few months everything is calm on campus, and coaches feel safe formalizing plans and shaping the identity of their team.

And then mid-August hits the calendar. The doldrums of preseason camp. The 10th, 11th and 12th practices bear fruit in competition but also result in inevitable injuries, the result of consecutive days of wear and tear and physical and mental fatigue. 

A rash of injuries strikes every team at every level of the sport, including the bluebloods. No one is immune to the injury bug.

Within the last week, the bug struck with a vengeance:

Chip Trayanum, Kentucky’s prized transfer running back from Ohio State, is expected to miss the Wildcats’ first two games after breaking a hand at practice, according to Kentucky Sports Report. 

Preseason injuries are nothing new, but the impact certainly feels different in 2024.

“I feel like we have less depth than we’ve ever had,” Georgia’s Kirby Smart told reporters Tuesday. “That’s kind of a common theme talking to other coaches I talk to. I call it the deterioration of football because every year we’ve been here, I feel like we’ve had more players capable of going in and playing winning football. Every year that goes down. We’ve got to keep working to increase that number.”

No one is crying for No. 1 Georgia, the bluest of bluebloods, but Smart has a point – and it’s also being debated in athletic departments across the country today. Starting in 2025, roster sizes will shrink from 130 to 105…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/when-summer-turns-to-survival-depth-crisis-hello-injury-bug-hits-college-football-amid-portal-era/

Author : Brandon Marcello

Publish date : 2024-08-14 13:49:15

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