‘A sweet, soft, Southern thrill’: Bryant-Denny to return at full capacity

AD Greg Byrne has big ambitions for a return to normal in the fall.

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CW / Hannah Saad & Lexi Hall

Alexander Plant | @aplant63, Sports Editor

Greg Byrne, UA athletic director, announced that the University is moving ahead with plans to host full-capacity college football games at Bryant-Denny Stadium this coming season.

Byrne tweeted a short statement after news earlier this week that the University would be returning to in-person instruction without restrictions on classroom capacity in the fall. 

“With this announcement, we’ve received a number of questions regarding capacity at Bryant-Denny for [Alabama Football] in 2021,” Byrne said. “We are moving forward with plans to have a full stadium in the fall and will monitor medical guidelines as we have all along.”

Alabama reduced its capacity to 20% last season as COVID-19 ran rampant across Alabama and the campus. Infections have dropped significantly recently. The combination of the three new vaccines are also expected to play a huge role in minimizing the spread of the virus. 

The Centers for Disease Control reported that last week’s average cases per day dropped from roughly 65,000 a day to 55,000. President Joe Biden announced earlier this week in a press conference that there should be enough vaccines for every adult in the United States by the end of May. 

However, according to The New York Times, Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. However, fans in the comments section of Byrne’s tweet showed optimism that the University can fill the 100,000 seats in Bryant-Denny Stadium.