Every fall college football is a staple in many households across the country. From watching big rivalries, to big upsets, to big bowl games, some of the greatest moments in sports history stem from college football. 

However, over the last couple of months with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen several programs cancel their fall sports seasons, which of course includes college football. While the larger programs have been able to continue with their season, smaller schools from Division I-FCS to Division III level were not able to compete.

On July 8, 2020, the Ivy League was the first conference to officially cancel their fall football season with the intent to possibly play in the spring. 

Several student-athletes were impacted by the move, including Joel Meglic, a member of the graduating class of 2020. Meglic, a three-year varsity starter and three-time all-conference recipient, committed to Cornell in the fall of 2019. 

Now, his college football career has kicked off with more questions than answers.

“I was crushed,” Meglic said. “For a couple of days, I couldn’t think straight and was just sad and disappointed.” However, to Meglic, a freshman year without college football could prove to have some positives to it. 

 “Once I found out how beneficial this could be for me, to get acclimated to Division I athletics and an Ivy League school, it made me feel much better,” he said.

Another alum affected by the mass shutdown was Wes Glime, a two-year starter at quarterback for the Tritons. Glime is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and graduated from NDA in 2019. Johns Hopkins plays at the Division III level in the Centennial Conference and had their season cancelled on July 7th.

“I wouldn’t say I was completely surprised by the news as I knew it was a possibility, but I was obviously very disappointed,” Glime said. “I can’t remember the last time I went through fall without playing football, and it is very difficult to imagine what this fall semester will look and feel like without it.” 

For Johns Hopkins, a spring season possibility isn’t as clear as other schools, due to scheduling at facilities. 

“I know that our coaches and athletic administrators are ready to get back to it and will do anything to get a season for the team,” Glime said. “It will definitely be a challenge with scheduling as we do not have the facilities of a D-I football program and Hopkins also has D-I men’s and women’s lacrosse in the spring. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.”

In the meantime, both Meglic and Glime are working hard to stay ready for whenever they do get their opportunity to play. 

“I plan on training with the team [on campus] and preparing for whenever we will play again,” Meglic said.

“My plans in the meantime are to keep working out, throwing and studying the playbook,” Glime said. “Essentially, I just have to continue to prepare as if the season was going to start tomorrow.”