Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley: Rushing Back to Campus One of 'Most Ridiculous' Things

Oklahoma football head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters Thursday it's imperative colleges refrain from rushing football players back to campuses in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic:

Jason Kersey of The Athletic provided the Riley quotes:

The June 1 date Riley referenced has been thrown around via multiple sources.

Per LSU executive deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry (h/t Brooks Kubena of the Advocate), the SEC will vote on whether to bring student-athletes back to campus on either June 1 or June 15 during a May 22 meeting involving all 14 conference schools.

The SEC had previously extended a suspension of all athletic activities on campuses through May 31.

The date may end up being June 1, as Wilson Alexander of the Advocate reported that LSU plans to welcome student-athletes back at that time.

The Big Ten also extended a suspension of athletic activities through June 1, and Iowa President James Bruce Harreld said (h/t Vanessa Miller of the Gazette) that it plans to welcome student-athletes back at that time.

As for Riley, he garnered support on Twitter for his comments, with ESPN's David Hale writing the following: "This is a strongly divergent - though probably more credible - opinion than is coming from many coaches right now."

College football writer and editor Alex Kirschner added: "Lincoln Riley sounds more thoughtful than 99 percent of his peers almost every time he opens his mouth."

Riley also told reporters that he "definitely [thinks] we'll play" but that it's imperative to be patient and "bring [student-athletes] back at the right time."