UCLA football has a player in quarantine, but none tested positive for coronavirus, coach Chip Kelly says

Through the first week of UCLA football camp in preparation for its season opener on Nov. 9 at Colorado, Bruins coach Chip Kelly said that nobody on the team or staff has tested positive for coronavirus, but he did confirm on Friday that senior defensive end Steven Mason is in quarantine after being exposed to someone who has tested positive.

Kelly didn’t say how long Mason would be in quarantine, and also said the person Mason was exposed to was not a member of the team.

“We had a couple other kids (in quarantine) during the summer (for the same reasons),” Kelly said. “It’s safety precautions of how to handle it if someone has exposure to someone that has been exposed. It’s part of the contact tracing part of it.”

During camp, a lot of players have talked about the importance of protecting their ‘ecosystem’ when it comes to the coronavirus, which Kelly and his staff have drilled into the players’ minds.

“Our players have done a really good job in protecting their ecosystems,” Kelly said. “If they want to play on Nov. 7, then we have to make sure we keep COVID out of them individually, but also the team collectively. You can see what’s going on throughout the country, this disease doesn’t discriminate, this disease is real and you can’t let your guard down.”

Kelly noted that players are reminded constantly that what they do individually, impacts the group, and that’s why protecting their ecosystem has become such a common phrase.

“Don’t put yourself in situations where you’re exposed to people when you don’t have to be,” Kelly said. “You’re trying to create a small bubble for yourself. It’s not like the NBA bubble where nobody is allowed on your campus. There are going to be (situations) where people have been infected and you may come in contact with them, so you have to be really conscious of what you’re doing and how you’re handling things.

“You can do a good job, but it’s not one of those things where you should be patting yourself on the back. I can come in tomorrow morning and find out we have 10 kids that got infected. It happens throughout the country. There are so many examples of sports  teams that look like everything is moving along great and you hear someone say we haven’t had a case in a certain amount of days and the next day they have 10. So, we have our fingers crossed.”

In terms of the first week of camp, Kelly compared it more to practicing during the season than a real summer camp.

“We haven’t rushed through things, but it’s not a real training camp because we’re in school,” Kelly said. “In a traditional training camp for everybody you’re not in school and have more hours (to practice) by the NCAA.

“We’re limited to 20 hours a week because we’re in classes right now, so our schedule is a little bit different. That’s because of the 20-hour rule instead of being in preseason camp, that’s the difference. It’s sort of like our in-season schedule.”

FAMILIES AT GAMES?

Fans will not be allowed at Pac-12 football games this season, but the Pac-12 confirmed that families members of players will be allowed to attend games, subject to local public health approval.

Kelly and players said they’re all for it, as long as it’s safe.

“I think parents should be allowed if the county allows it,” Kelly said. “I’m for having the parents at the games as long as it’s safe, but I don’t have a vote. It’s still going to be determined by the LA County and the state of California, they will have the final say.”

UCLA linebacker Carl Jones hopes it comes true.

“Of course, family and friends are a big, big part why a lot of people play football,” Jones said. “They do it for their family and they do it for themselves. I didn’t know that we were going to have family and friends, but now, it’s more exciting and I’m just ready to get out there and show my family what I’ve been doing all over this quarantine break.”

UCLA defensive back Stephan Blaylock also hopes family can be there.

“I was surprised, that’s my first time hearing about it,” Blaylock said of the possibility of family being allowed. “Just knowing that family and friends can come out, I’m going to say it boosts your game a little bit more, because you at least know that you got somebody you’re familiar with in the stands watching you play the game you love.”

Speaking of the season opener, it was not lost on Jones that the Bruins’ defense has struggled mightily, falling outside the top 100 ranked defenses nationally each of the past two seasons.

Jones was asked what they need to do to become a dominating unit, and what they have done in camp that leads them to believe things will be different as they prepare for their Pac-12 opener.

“I feel like to be a more dominant defense we (have) to be talking a lot more,” Jones said. “I feel like the team is doing that. We’ve been really doing that and I feel like when we get to week one against Colorado, you guys will see that we’ve come ready and we’ve been preparing for this, so I feel like we’re ready, and ready to play.”

MARTELL IRBY STILL DAY-TO-DAY

Junior reserve back Martell Irby has yet to practice with the team due to minor injuries.

Kelly noted that Irby, Otito Ogbonnia and Martin Andrus have yet to do team workouts due to lingering issues, but all three have been working out on their own.

Kelly did say that punter Collin Flintoft is out for the rest of the season after having off-season surgery. Flintoff had the surgery when he thought the season would be canceled.

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