The last seven months have been anything but normal, but Arizona's football team will get its first taste of some normalcy Friday afternoon when the Wildcats take the field to open up preseason fall camp.

The last time the team was together in the same type of setup was back in early March just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down spring practice and all of college sports. Arizona, as a member of the Pac-12, is behind other teams across college football as there are many conferences already in action.

Still, having a season at all is being viewed as a win for the players who have been eager to strap on their pads and helmets once again this year.

UA head coach Kevin Sumlin, who himself tested positive for the coronavirus last week, certainly understands how challenging the the spring and summer months were for his players and his coaching staff.

“I’ll be honest with you, I think it’s not just the season,” he said this week during the Pac-12's season preview media day webinar. “I think it’s everything that’s happened over the last seven months. From social unrest, to pandemic, to ‘are we playing, are we not playing?’ Is it safe?

“There are so many factors, and the fact that for the first time, really, a lot of guys are taking classes online from last spring and summer. So, it’s a completely different set of circumstances for these young people, and I think your head is in the sand if you’re not realizing, ‘hey, this can be taxing mentally to our people and to our coaches.’

“We’ve gotten away from using the word training camp. There is no training camp because we’re in school. So, it’s a completely different schedule to play. Everything is different. A lot of things have happened this year that have taken a toll on our young people, and I think we need to be sensitive to that.”

Camp is the next important step in the process. Playing football through a pandemic means there are no guarantees. Many teams across the country have had their games canceled and postponed. The Pac-12 has no wiggle room considering there are no bye weeks for the conference in the upcoming seven-game fall season.

Sumlin has no choice but to remain optimistic for his team, but the thought that all the work in the upcoming month could be derailed by the ongoing pandemic is a reality he has to keep in the back of his mind.

“It’s always a concern,” Sumlin said when asked about the possibility of COVID-19 forcing the season to end early or impact it in a major way. “... There’s a real possibility something like that could happen any time. What you can do is do the best you can and prepare.

"I think our league, with our testing protocols and everything else, and playing a conference schedule and controlling what that looks like, I think gives us the best chance to play all these games.”

Being healthy to play is one part of the equation. Looking good while doing it is whole other challenge for a coach like Sumlin. There have already been several upsets this college football season as some teams have looked more prepared than others. Sumlin and the Wildcats will have the usual amount of time to get ready and with some extra time over the summer months to work with his group the UA head coach is confident his group will be ready to go.

"Fortunately, we’ve been on the field here for a little bit and had our Zoom meetings," Sumlin said. "So, I feel good about that. Obviously, we’ve had some transfers that we have to replace particularly at linebacker. Then continue to develop offensively. Our offensive line we played a lot of different people last year, but we’ve got a bunch available now. Then find out who our playmakers are on the perimeter.

“So, we got a lot of things to do as a team, but I think we’ve got plenty of time to get it done.”

UA will open camp with three practices in four days as it begins its preparations for the season opener Nov. 7 against Utah on the road in Salt Lake City.

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