With spring practices officially cancelled and so many unanswered questions hovering in the air, the four Illinois Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs have found a silver lining in the dark clouds of the unknown.

The impact of COVID-19 has left staffs scrambling to meet the needs of its players, keep track of academic performances, set up workout plans and a myriad of other agenda items. Yet, in a time of uncertainty those staffs have also been granted clock hours to build for the future.

“This is a very unique time that we’re in. We’ve got a great opportunity as a staff to get ahead recruiting-wise, so we’re doing a lot of recruiting and maintaining structure and staying connected with our (current) players,” Western Illinois head coach Jared Elliott said recently.

Knowing recruiting is the lifeblood of every football program no matter the size or level or conference affiliation, Prairie State Pigskin contacted staff members from each of the Illinois FCS schools — Eastern, Illinois State, Southern and Western — to gain insight on this spring’s changing landscape.

With geographically better early spring weather, SIU has traditionally opened its practices sooner than the other schools. That held true this year as head coach Nick Hill’s Salukis were able to get in five such practices before the pandemic shut things down. SIU was also able to hold a junior day for the high school class of 2021.

“We had over 120 kids on campus,” SIU recruiting coordinator Gaizka Crowley said. “That was a really good event for us. Along with those five practices, that gave us a jump start. A lot of programs weren’t able to get any in.”

Crowley added that once Hill’s staff had its current roster set up for distance learning, workouts and other priorities, SIU turned its attention to recruiting.

“For me in my position, it’s hog heaven a little bit, being able to watch a ton of guys and speak to high school coaches and speak to a lot of prospects,” Crowley said.

Changing a negative into a positive

Adam Cushing has entered his second year as Eastern Illinois head coach. Despite not getting a chance to put his young team (which by fall will be 85 percent of his staff’s recruits) through much-needed spring practices, Cushing leans toward optimism.

“Our approach to this whole situation is, what does this make possible? Flip it from a challenge to an opportunity,” Cushing said. “We’ve been given time; nobody ever gives you time. Let’s use that time to be detailed about all the things we really want to be detailed on.”

One of those things that he’s detailed on is his staff’s rankings of potential recruits.

“I generally know about the top five guys on the board by position, but now we’ll have a much deeper board,” he said.

Deeper connections and closer looks

Every coach interviewed discussed the opportunity to establish stronger bonds with possible future players.

“We’ll have much deeper connection if we can stress daily connection,” Cushing said. “As crazy as it it is, (during the past) you’d be fighting to get the prospective student-athlete, the high school kid, that you want to get on the phone with because he’s a football guy, but he’s also in track and he’s a 4.0 student. You don’t want to take a lot of his time, but (now) he’s got a whole bunch of time too. If you can set it up right, you can really be maximizing relationships on a daily basis.”

Khenon Hall coaches running backs at Illinois State. He is also head coach Brock Spack’s recruiting coordinator.

“With Coach Spack we’re usually pretty much ahead, but this has cleared up some extra time and allowed us to reevaluate some guys that fit what we want, what we’re looking for this year. We have a big senior class this year so we’re probably going to have a big signing class. It’s actually been a blessing to sit back, reorganize and hone in on the guys that are our top targets and the guys that fit the ISU program,” Hall said.

No on-campus visits

The NCAA has declared a “dead period,” meaning that no recruits can make visits to campus nor can any coaches take to the road in attempts to land potential recruits. Thus, recruiting may look a little different for those 2021 signees.

“For us, it’s allowed Coach Hill, myself and our other staff to develop relationships with those kids because normally we’d be in spring practice right now,” Crowley said. “While we may potentially miss seeing a kid for in-person evaluation depending on how your (high school) camp schedule lays out, what it’s honestly allowing you to do is to get to know a kid better on a one-on-one basis . . . we’ve been able to watch a ton of film, but even more importantly than the film is getting to know the kids. Getting them on the phone, talking to parents. We’ve been able to do that quite a bit.”

Hall said, “Letters, phone calls, FaceTime, whatever we’ve got to do in order to continue to build that relationship.”

Illinois recruiting analyst “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran said in a Tuesday YouTube video, “Basically March has become the new May, meaning the spring evaluation period is such a busy, busy time for recruiting on a lot of different levels. All this has done is pushed things forward and pushed the calendar back even further. Now you have college coaches looking . . . Something we’ve noticed this past week, all of the sudden multiple, multiple FCS schools are offering a lot more kids. More than I can remember at this time of the year in particular.”

An added bonus?

Nearly all recruiting experts rate the state’s 2021 class higher than the recent 2020 signees. Could the cornavirus actually help keep more of those recruits here in Illinois?

“It helps us a lot. Chicago, especially the ‘21 (class), is better than last year as far as the talent goes,” Hall said. “We take care of our backyard, but now the kids that are getting attention from the out-of-state areas can’t go to those campuses, or they might have early offers from these MAC schools in Ohio or Michigan or wherever.

“Now, they can’t get to those campuses, but they’ve probably been to ours. We are one of the top schools in the state and country, so we’re able to get some of those guys that tend to go to that MAC area. Now we’re going to be able to keep those guys home.”

Crowley added, “We’re in the middle of everything. We’re in the middle of Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Memphis, St. Louis, so we’re able to get a lot of kids on campus. With potentially the spring and summer camp season being very much in the air, you’ve got a lot of kids that (normally) go to the one-day camps, put on a great performance and that’s when they earn a lot of offers. From our perspective, can you go up and grab a kid who’s a Group of Five kid or even a Power-5 kid? I think that’s very much a reality.

“It’s uncharted territory. How does it (COVID-19) affect commitments? How does it affect the December signing day? Last year we signed a huge majority of our class in December; now does that change? What’s the impact? Are more kids now going to sign in February so they can take more visits? That’s very much a possibility. We’re taking it week by week right now.”

Today is April first. I know you’re all hoping someone would say April Fools and this month long nightmare would be over! Sorry, but it’s been like a different holiday. It’s been like living this movie scene.

The alarm goes off at six am. He gets out of bed and heads to the shower. The water is icy cold. He heads into town and stops at the diner. When walking across the street, he steps into a puddle of slushy water. Walking down the sidewalk to greet him is an annoying, too giddy insurance salesman, Ned Ryerson. That’s what life is like for Phil Connors, in Punxsutawaney, Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day.

When Phil finally reaches the end of his day, he’ll go to sleep, only to awake to that same alarm clock at the same time. He’ll get into the same cold shower. The same puddle and the same insurance salesman awaits him. And all of this will occur again…and again…and again…and again.

Yeah, I know “Groundhog Day is only a movie. These aren’t real people. Bill Murray isn’t really Phil Connors and Stephen Tobolowsky isn’t really Ned Ryerson, although most of think of him as that. It’s just a movie, right? So how come many of us have been living our own version of “Groundhog Day” in the last couple of weeks?

Here’s my life:

I get up at the same time every morning. Yeah, it’s closer to nine than six am, but I don’t have to be anywhere so there’s no need to wake up before the sun rises. I go outside to get some fresh air. I’ll take a walk around the neighborhood. The street here is shaped almost like a track at a high school. According to the app on my phone, it’s one third of a mile. Nine hundred and thirty steps. I go around three times to make a mile. I see the same people every day. Some are walking their dog. Others just want to get out of their house. One woman told me she was waiting for the ducks. She said she saw them having sex and was curious to see if they would do it again. Imagine how bored she must have been to check that out?

It’s time to come inside and get ready for the day. I jump in the shower, but I have the opposite problem of Bill/Phil. The water is too hot. I get dressed and think about breakfast. Special K with red berries is the choice. Same thing, same time, every day!

Next comes the news. More cases of the coronavirus. More people becoming ill. More people dying.

I turn off the television to take a nap. The stress and anxiety of our current way of life wears you down. Sleep is good whenever you can get it. It gives you strength to deal with the monotony of the stay at home life.

Seven pm is dinner time. That’s followed by another walk in the neighborhood. Same one third of a mile. Nothing new. Nothing changes.

At eight pm the evening’s entertainment begins. It’s time for the “Family Feud” on the Gameshow Network. Did you know they show the Feud for four and a half continuous hours? That’s nine episodes of Steve Harvey. NINE!!! I’m good for two hours of them. Hell, it’s mindless entertainment that keeps my mind off of what is happening in the world. Anything that makes you worry a little less is good, right?

At ten, I’ve had enough of Steve and it’s time for the news. It’s Brian Williams on MSNBC. Nothing like an hour off bad news to help you get ready to sleep.

Talking about sleep, then it’s time to turn off the tv and the lights and try to get some rest. It’s takes about a half hour to to shut down my brain and finally fall asleep. Getting to sleep hasn’t been too tough so far, but we still have a long way to go before this pandemic is over.

Then I get to wake up and do it all over again…and again…and again…

See? This stay at home life really is our own personal “Groundhog Day”. Hey, it’s time for my morning neighborhood walk. I’m hoping to avoid the woman and ducks. She’s my real-life Ned Ryerson.

Related Post: How many imaginary coronavirus symptoms do you have?

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Good managers know how important it is to keep people happy, and that starts with providing an attractive workspace. You’ve probably interviewed at places and known right away that you want to work there, just by looking at the office.

But what if your business doesn’t have the perks of a modern office? How can you bring it up to date? Changes big and small to your office’s appearance and amenities can add up quickly to transform what was once a boring, tepid workspace into a modern paragon of productivity. Try these seven ideas to get you started.

1. Add Some Greenery

Plants might not seem modern to you, but a little foliage can go a long way toward removing the antiseptic feel many office spaces have. You can get them on a fairly affordable budget, and if you don’t have the funds for a gardener, your facilities person should be able to make a lap of the office a few times a week to keep plants watered and trimmed.

Plants clean the air and give your office space a much more homey feel. Just consider the lighting in the space and be sure you’re not choosing plants that will die and cost you money.

2. Allow BYODevices

Modern technology can make working while on-the-go simpler than ever, and offering the option to do business on a personal device might improve productivity and comfort levels at the same time. An employee who’s constantly on-the-go might get more done in less time if they can use their personal cell phone or laptop.

Not only does this make your office modern and pragmatic, but it could save you money in the long run. Think of all those laptops and phones you’re not buying.

3. Get the Light Right

People respond to the amount and type of light in their workspace. Natural light is best, but allowing too much natural light can cause your office to become uncomfortably warm.

Consider adding blinds or a light-deflecting canopy system depending on your office’s location and lighting needs. These are two very cost-effective investments that can improve worker and customer happiness if your business operates a storefront, and they will last a long time before needing maintenance or repair.

4. Implement an Employee Wellness Program

Insurance costs go down when companies have fewer employees who are likely to need medical care. One of the best forms of preventative care is practicing a healthy lifestyle, and that’s something your office can promote without the need for much structural change.

Consider using some extra space to install a small exercise room or space for stretching. Make healthy snacks available at the office and consider incorporating wellness into your regular company newsletter. You can even hold events like scavenger hunts and a company run/walk club, or bring in educational speakers to teach your team about wellness.

5. Upgrade to Ergonomic Furniture

Speaking of keeping employees healthy, offices that expose people to long days behind the desk can improve by implementing ergonomic furniture — for example, office chairs that include lumbar support, standing desks for employees and foot pads to stand on.

Changing to these modern furniture solutions might seem like a high-priced switch to furniture that accomplishes the same thing your old pieces did. However, workers have been shown to be happier and healthier in offices that use standing desks and other ergonomic furniture. Absenteeism is reduced, productivity goes up and workers report feeling better overall in the workplace.

6. Switch to Cloud Storage

Many offices still store all of their company data on-premise. This creates a single-point-of-failure, which you probably know is resolved by creating backups. But what if there was a way to eliminate the need for all that extra equipment? Cloud-based storage does that. It also helps you reduce energy costs and be more carbon-neutral in the process.

Instead of relying on equipment on-premise, cloud storage moves your information offsite to a redundant storage array. You will need to boost your internet connection, but with all the money you’ll save on power and hard drive space, you can probably afford it!

7. Add Some Color

You’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes when you splash some color on those old beige walls. Choose something fun and aligned with your company’s marketing language. It will make people feel energized and more a part of your brand. Add some decorative stenciling to give your walls a fresh look with low expense.

Are you ready to get started? Remember that you might not be able to do all of these things on day one, but if you make a plan and work toward a more modern office, your employees will know. Start small and celebrate your wins on the way to an office you can be proud of!