Coaches, players to be showcased virtually

The Pac-12’s Football Media Day has always been a widely attended event, drawing reporters not just from the member schools but national outlets as well. Not surprisingly plans for that annual event, originally slated for July 29 in ballrooms at the Hollywood and Highland Entertainment venues, have been scrapped due to bans on public gatherings in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The event featured each Pac-12 coach on stage fielding questions for 40 or so minutes. Each coach also brought two players who were seated at separate podiums and also answered questions. The Pac-12 Network also aired the event and got the opportunity to tape interviews with both coaches and players for future use.

That event will now be virtual, although a date and time have yet to be determined.

Seven of the 10 FBS conferences have already changed their plans for that annual day. The Big-12 event, scheduled for July 20-21 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, is also among those. The SEC, ACC and Big 10 are the conferences yet to announce thayt decision.

On Thursday the Pac-12 announced a series of four 30-minute, media-only webinars featuring the league’s 12 football coaches. Each day from Monday through Thursday, three coaches will participate with a different topic slated for each session.

Arizona State coach Herm Edwards will be featured in Wednesday’s segment along with UCLA’s Chip Kelly and Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith while Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin is slated for Thursday, along with Cal’s Justin Wilcox and Oregon’s Mario Cristobal.