Nick KrugPlayers on the Kansas football team will have to wait an extra week before they get to start spring practices.
KU announced Thursday that the first day of the spring schedule had been pushed back to March 30, seven days later than previously planned. The delay is intended to give KU more time to hire a new athletic director and allow that person to evaluate the program more thoroughly, interim athletic director Kurt Watson said in a news release.
The original spring football calendar was put in place by former head coach Les Miles and had a start date of March 23. Miles left KU earlier this month after reports surfaced of sexual harassment allegations against him while he was the head coach at LSU, and Athletic Director Jeff Long stepped down several days later.
Watson said in the release that he spoke with interim head coach Emmett Jones and others in the athletic department before deciding to delay the start of spring football.
“This decision was made simply on what is best for the football program during this interim period,” Watson said. “… Coach Jones is eager to get to work on the football field, but he agrees that delaying a week is the right decision.”
Chancellor Douglas Girod said earlier this month that once a permanent athletic director was in place, that person would determine the next steps in KU’s search for Miles’ replacement.
According to NCAA rules, KU football will practice 15 times this spring, culminating with a spring game that is scheduled for May 1 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks didn’t have any spring practices or scrimmages in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More details regarding the spring game, including a kickoff time and attendance plans, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
