After news broke of the Southern Conference’s announcement of the cancellation of all fall athletics, many Bulldogs felt disappointed with the result. However, some Bulldogs are motivated for the spring season, which is set to play out as long as COVID-19 does not continue to affect NCAA’s FCS subdivision in terms of postponements and cancellations.
Many Samford student-athletes have found this time to be stressful and overwhelming, citing the uncertainty as a major problem in the decision-making of the NCAA.
“It has been very overwhelming with everything going on,” junior cornerback Jordan Montgomery said. “The decisions were above everyone’s head.”
Many players are concerned about the uncertainty of the SoCon’s plans with how they align with other FCS conferences and said they would rather take the necessary measures to hit the field in the fall. One of those Bulldogs is Australian punter Brad Porcellato.
“Our season getting canceled has been really disappointing and tough on some players but I think the team has handled the news well, the Melbourne native said. “It was difficult to watch other FCS teams play over the weekend because I wish that was us.”
The team has used this unexpected time to grow closer to teammates and bond as one squad.
“COVID-19 has brought us closer and we are happy and blessed to be back on campus working out and running as a team,” said Montgomery. “It’s a lot better than sitting at home in a house doing nothing or quarantining by ourselves.
Along with team bonding, the working out has continued in order to provide a platform for success once the spring season begins.
“For now, we’ve jumped straight back into lifting weights and sim training to prepare for hopefully a Spring season,” said Porcellato. “So far we have attacked those sessions with great intensity even with all the restrictions in place and we feel we’re in a good position to play some really good football if we get the opportunity in the spring.”
Although no scheduling is set for the spring season at this point time and talks among SoCon officials and administrators have been limited, Bulldog confidence is at a high point.
“We are still working out and practicing even though we have no opponents this fall,” said Montgomery. “Our mind is on the spring and we will be ready to play and ready to win.”
