ISU Says 10 Athletes, Including 2 Football Players, Tested Positive for COVID-19

Iowa State University announced Saturday that 10 of the school's athletes, including two football players, have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to ESPN's Heather Dinich, Iowa State released the following statement on the matter: "Iowa State's Athletic Department is taking a number of precautions and has protocols for contact tracing as well as isolation to limit the spread of illness. The university feels strongly about balancing the privacy of our student-athletes and being transparent as well as avoiding speculation on case numbers."

The school told ESPN that none of the students were partaking in team activities when they were exposed to the coronavirus.

Per Dinich, Iowa State said all 147 members of its football program, including players and staff, have been tested for COVID-19 since May 28.

Last month, the Big 12 announced football players could begin reporting to campus for voluntary workouts on June 15. Athletes from other fall sports, including cross country, soccer and volleyball, will be eligible to return July 1, and all other athletes can report to campus July 15.

The workouts will be the first in-person activities college football teams have participated in since March, which is when states first shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, the NCAA announced a proposed preseason model that will be voted upon by the Division I Council on Wednesday.

If the proposal is approved, it will require players to participate in a set amount of weight training, conditioning and film review during a 14-day period in July and August before the official beginning of preseason practice in early August.

Under that scenario, it would allow the 2020 college football season to begin on time this fall despite concerns that COVID-19 would prevent that from happening.

Perhaps the biggest roadblock in the way of an on-time season start is how the NCAA and individual programs will handle things if some of their players test positive for the coronavirus.

In addition to Iowa State, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas State, Boise State, Clemson, Florida State, Houston, Iowa, Marshall, Mississippi, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech and UCF are all known to have had student-athletes test positive for COVID-19, according to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.

Provided the season does start on time, Iowa State could be a major factor in the Big 12, thanks largely to the return of junior quarterback Brock Purdy.