Texas Pauses Football Activities After Positive COVID-19 Tests

The University of Texas paused football activities after three students and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the athletic department announced in a statement.

The individuals who tested positive returned negative tests Friday and traveled with the team to play Kansas State on Saturday. The team will be tested again Monday and Tuesday before a plan to return is announced.

According to Chip Brown of 247Sports, the team had a scheduled day off on Sunday, when the tests came back positive.

Texas is scheduled to play Kansas on Saturday.

Saturday's game is rescheduled from Nov. 21, when the teams were originally supposed to play before Kansas did not have enough players at a position group because of injuries and contact tracing from COVID-19 tests, per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman.

Per Big 12 guidelines, each team must have 53 players—including seven offensive linemen, four defensive linemen and a quarterback—able to take the field on game day. According to Davis, there were five positive COVID-19 tests among 825 tests administered to the Kansas program between Nov. 8 and Nov. 21.

According to ESPN's Sam Khan Jr., Texas is tested for COVID-19 at least three times a week, per conference protocols.