ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan and Penn State became two of the first major football programs to cancel or postpone their pro days out of caution over the coronavirus.
“Based on the daily and hourly developments surrounding COVID-19, the University of Michigan football program has decided to cancel its Pro Day scheduled for Friday, March 13,” Michigan said in a tweeted statement Thursday.
Along with canceling Friday’s pro day, Penn State said in a statement that all football-related activities, including practice and recruiting, were postponed until further notice. The school said no decision had been made about the April 18 Blue-White Game.
Rutgers also announced that its pro day, scheduled for Friday, would be rescheduled.
Michigan already had some of its prospects in town preparing for the day and with meetings scheduled. The school had initially limited the event to just attending teams and players, restricting family and player representatives, a source close to a Michigan player told ESPN, before the pro day was canceled altogether.
Michigan had 11 prospects at last month’s NFL combine, including offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, quarterback Shea Patterson and linebacker Josh Uche, and is expected to have multiple players taken in next month’s NFL draft. Penn State’s prospects include defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos and wide receiver KJ Hamler.
The cancellations come as NFL teams are starting to pull their scouts off the road due to the coronavirus crisis.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.