Gators have not met vaccine thresholds yet

BIRMINGHAM, Al. — Delivering his state of the conference address to kick off SEC Media Days, Commissioner Greg Sankey noted that six of the 14 teams in the conference have at least 80% of their players vaccinated against COVID 19.

Once a team reaches an 85% COVID immunization rate, the entire team including coaches and support staff may suspend surveillance testing regardless of a given individual’s immunization status.

Florida isn't one of those six schools. Dan Mullen wouldn't get into specifics of what percentage of his players have been vaccinated other than it was close to the threshold where the league wants to be.

"So we're at a pretty high number of vaccinated players right now but I think what the medical staff and really what Governor DeSantis, what he's been able to do and the leadership of UF Shands Hospital system on campus has really been beneficial for our program and university as a whole."

The league is looking to get at least 80% of the student-athletes on every team vaccinated and Sankey has made it clear that there won't be much leniency in terms of a team being unable to compete if they fall due to COVID complications.

"We still have roster minimums that exist, just like last year," he said. "What I've identified for consideration among our membership is we remove those roster minimums and you're expected to play as scheduled."

"That means your team needs to healthy to compete, and if not, that game won't be rescheduled."

The prospect became very real this past College World Series when a COVID outbreak among two non-vaccinated players ended up with the Wolfpack not having enough eligible players to field and team, thus ending their season. That seems as if it could be a very real possibility this fall given the stance that Sankey has taken Monday in Birmingham.

“Vaccines are an important and incredible product of science," Sankey said. "Not a political football. And we need to do our part to support a healthy society.”