College sports are wading the way through an unprecedented time in history after the coronavirus pandemic has placed a hold on all sporting events for the remainder of the spring semester. Texas football has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown as the Longhorns were scheduled to begin spring practice March 24, only to have those plans be paused for the foreseeable future. The Longhorns received a little bit of positive news to open the week when the Big 12 Conference unveiled new rules, that went into effect Monday, which will allow for football coaches and staff to hold virtual meetings with their respective teams.
Fourth-year head coach Tom Herman was pleased with the conference's decision to follow suit with other Power Five conferences, however the head coach's main concern is not on football, but on the well being of some of his at-risk student-athletes.
In this week's episode of The Flagship Podcast, Horns247 columnist Chip Brown and managing editor Taylor Estes open the show with key takeaways from the Longhorns' head coach, who held his first interview session with the media via teleconference once the new Big 12 rules were put in place. Hear from Herman himself as the head coach discussed how the 'new normal' of moving into a virtual coaching and recruiting realm will impact the Longhorns' efforts on all fronts over the next several weeks, including how he plans to hold meetings with both his staff and players. While he was happy the Big 12 was more in-line with other conferences in allowing for virtual team meetings, Herman opened up on the shortcomings of both the conference and NCAA as it pertains to the health, safety and well being of student-athletes, particularly those who are considered 'at-risk.'
The Flagship then welcomes in CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd for an exclusive interview about the recent NCAA ruling which will allow for spring sport student-athletes an additional year of eligibility after the spring seasons were cut short due to the global pandemic. In addition to the NCAA eligibility changes, Chip and Dennis discuss the latest on conference realignment as the college sports world makes a shift towards streaming live sports, and how that alone could impact any conference realignment talks over the next several years.
Chip and Taylor close the show with more audio from Herman, as the head coach discussed how the possibility of not holding spring football could impact the installation process on both sides of the ball with seven new assistant coaches — including both his offensive and defensive coordinators — on staff, how a virtual recruiting world is shaping up for the Longhorns' efforts in keeping in the mix with some of the nation's best talent in the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes and how Herman has been spending his time practicing proper social distancing protocols with his family.
The Flagship Podcast hits the airwaves each Wednesday featuring Horns247 columnist Chip Brown and managing editor Taylor Estes, and centers around all the latest happenings surrounding the University of Texas and college athletics, with big-name special guests joining the show on a weekly basis.

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