Kevin Sumlin pessimistic SEC will play this fall: ‘Let’s wait a couple of weeks and see what happens’

Former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, now at Arizona in the Pac-12, has struck a pessimistic tone about the outlook for the remaining conferences playing football this season.

Sumlin is willing to wait a couple of weeks and see if the SEC and other conferences join the Big Ten and Pac-12 by calling off the season. In light of the SEC releasing its schedule on Monday, Sumlin said his conference was in the same boat.

“Today, people are saying they’re going to play,” Sumlin said with a shoulder shrug. “Just like we came out with a schedule. A week later we were done. Let’s wait a couple weeks and see what happens.”

Sumlin has led the Wildcats to 5-7 and 4-8 records the last 2 seasons. Earlier, Sumlin shared his thoughts about the season being shut down.

“Although our football program is disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to compete this fall, we know that this decision was made in the best interests of the health and safety of our student-athletes,” he posted to Twitter. “I hurt for the young men and coaches in our football program who have devoted their lives to the game. But we will persevere and support our student-athletes and be ready for when we are able to compete again. I am extremely proud of how our entire staff, and most importantly, our student-athletes have handled—and will continue to handle—the ever-changing dynamics of 2020.”

Kevin Sumlin also doesn’t sound too convinced that other Power 5 conferences are ultimately going to be able to play football this fall pic.twitter.com/QU6yhmUrua

— Matt Moreno (@MattGOAZCATS) August 18, 2020

Bear Down! pic.twitter.com/WINfS5EzyG

— Kevin Sumlin (@CoachSumlin) August 11, 2020

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.