When the college sports world came to an abrupt halt on March 12, Dallas Hobbs didn’t think that the coronavirus pandemic would jeopardize the 2020 football season. Sure, when the NCAA issued a statement saying it would cancel all remaining winter and spring championships, the Washington State redshirt junior defensive lineman quickly realized that his team wouldn’t be able to hold spring practice. But he figured that he’d get a chance to take the field during the fall.

The next five months have been different from any other college football offseason. COVID-19 cases surged in the United States, and a social justice movement swept the country. College football players found their voice, speaking out against systemic racism and injustice and advocating for their rights in ways that could forever change the sport.

The summer culminated in the creation of the Pac-12’s #WeAreUnited group and the Big Ten’s #BigTenUnited group, collectively featuring more than 1,400 athletes who demanded that their respective conferences implement uniform safety protocols. The Pac-12 group went so far as to demand compensation, directly challenging the sport’s long-held premise of amateurism. When reports emerged on August 9 saying the cancelation of the fall FBS season could be imminent, a groundswell of players—including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields—rallied on Twitter, using the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. Their efforts combined with the #WeAreUnited front to publicly pressure the conferences to find a safe way to conduct the season.

[Read Kaelen Jones's piece detailing the pandemic and protests of this summer and how these events have forever impacted college football.]