COVID Puts Pause On Tennessee Football Offseason Efforts

Josh Heupel's tenure as Tennessee football coach is off to a slow start, but that's not the fault of Heupel. Instead, it's the same old COVID-19 fears that have paused Tennessee's spring activities.

Tennessee announced in a statement Wednesday that it has temporarily halted football activities "out of an abundance of caution." COVID testing revealed "multiple positive tests among staff members and student-athletes," the statement added.

“Upon learning of the positive results, the staff members and student-athletes immediately self-isolated and are taking the appropriate safety measures in accordance with university, CDC and local health department guidelines,” the statement read.

The Volunteers are coming off a 3-7 season. Heupel, formerly the coach at the University of Central Florida, replaced former coach Jeremy Pruitt in January. Pruitt was fired amid an NCAA and internal investigation into possible recruiting infractions.

Tennessee was slated to begin its spring practice on March 23.