San Luis Obispo — The summer access period for the Cal Poly football team has begun.

The 11-day period as mandated by the NCAA opened Monday, 25 days prior to Cal Poly’s first permissible preseason practice date. The summer access period ends July 23.

During the summer access period, players may engage in eight hours of weight training, conditioning and film review (not more than two hours) per week.

The Mustangs worked out at Doerr Family Field on Monday with players separated by position groups.

Prior to the summer access period, the Mustangs were allowed to participate in voluntary and virtual activities for a total of eight hours per week. Players started checking in June 15 and were allowed to work out in groups no larger than 10 people.

From July 24 through Aug. 6, the football coaching staff will be allowed to conduct walk-throughs and team and individual meetings. 

During this period, weight training and conditioning are limited to eight hours per week while walk-throughs, with use of a football permitted, are limited to six hours per week. Team meetings, including film review, also will be limited to six hours per week.

The Cal Poly football team will officially begin preseason practice on Friday, Aug. 7, starting with five days of acclimatization. Pads will be added Aug. 12. Limits are four hours per day and 20 hours per week. Two-a-day practices were eliminated by the NCAA and teams are allowed to conduct 25 practice sessions.

Cal Poly is scheduled to open its 2020 season Sept. 5 at ULM (formerly Louisiana-Monroe).

The NCAA adopted a modified summer practice schedule in June, taking into account the fact that many Division I football programs, including Cal Poly, were not able to conduct spring drills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No changes were made to the preseason practice schedule (Aug. 7 through Sept. 4).

Baldwin, hired Dec. 11 to replace Tim Walsh after three years as an assistant coach at Cal and nine seasons as head coach at Eastern Washington, welcomes back about 80 returning lettermen, redshirts and squad members, who will be joined by nearly 40 newcomers in the coming weeks.

Cal Poly has 17 total returning starters — 10 on offense and seven on defense — led by quarterback Jalen Hamler, fullback-turned running back Duy Tran-Sampson and linebacker Matt Shotwell.

Biggest holes to fill are at wide receiver (J.J. Koski), the offensive line (Paul Trujillo-Langdon, Tyler Whisenhunt and David Chellsen), linebacker (Nik Navarro and Matt Wright) and five defensive backs who started at least six games last fall (Kitu Humphrey, Sharky Reza, Carter Nichols, Kameron Dennis and Kevin Howell).

Cal Poly’s home opener is Sept. 19 versus San Diego inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium.