After nearly three months since the last time North Carolina’s football team was together in the same place at the same time, the Tar Heels will begin returning to Chapel Hill on Friday.

A process that includes four phases, beginning June 12, the Heels will be intact by July 1, when they will begin conditioning training in preparation for the upcoming season, which begins Sept. 4 at Central Florida. Player assessments and voluntary workouts will begin June 15.

The return dates are June 12, 19, 26 and 29.

“The medical people did not feel good about bringing that many in on one day,” UNC Coach Mack Brown recently said, explaining why this will be done in phases. “They wanted to bring in smaller groups and then test those groups, so they'll be tested on the 12th. Our staff is charged with determining which of the players are in that first group between now and probably the end of next week or so we can start letting them prepare to come.”

Staff members deemed non-essential will not return to the Kenan Football Center just yet, and that includes secretaries and other non-coaches.

Coaches must wear masks when outside of their individual offices and social distancing will always be practiced. Brown said they were probably going to reconfigure some meeting rooms to accommodate social distancing mandates. As an example, the offensive line group is the largest on the team, so their room is being adjusted. All position group meetings through the end of June, however, will still take place via Zoom.

Players and coaches must use the steps and not take elevators, so for the sake of time they may use multiple additional areas and even move some of the meetings to the Kenan Stadium field.

Precautions will be taken at great lengths.

“Every person that comes in the building will have their temperature taken every day,” Brown said. “And if you do not feel good, you have a right that you don't have to come and you can just say ‘I don't feel good’ and you're excused. If your temperature is at a certain point, and I'm not sure what that point is, they will turn you away at the door and not let you come in the building.”

Furthermore, previous training regiments will be tweaked. Smaller workout groups with strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess and his staff will be the norm for the foreseeable future. Though, Hess and his staff can only work with the players through the end of June for medical purposes to make sure they’re safe.

Some things they’ve gotten used to during the shutdown will remain through the end of the month.

“They could come by and say hello to their coaches after a workout, but they can’t have in person football meetings, those meetings still have to be in Zoom,” Brown said.

The players that planned to live on campus will be at the Parker Dorm for the first month and those who have apartments will be allowed to stay there. All players will be tested as soon as they arrive and any who are positive must return home to quarantine for 14 days. None of the players Brown has spoken with expressed any concern about returning and getting back into a groove.

“We will encourage all of the players to stay in their bubble and not be out with people that haven't been tested because it's really important that we all go by this protocol,” Brown said.

The Hall of Fame coach also noted that having everyone on the same page is important with respect to mandated conditions for the team’s return. Some in the program may have differing views on how extensive or dangerous COVID-19 is to their age group, which according to statistics posted by the CDC, has been relatively unaffected. Unification embracing protocol, however, is vital.

“We’ll talk to them about honoring people's differences,” Brown said. “Some people aren't worried about the virus. Some people think it's nothing, it's just the flu and they don't want to wear a mask.

“Well, we've asked all of ours to do what our doctors have told us to do because if there's one person that does, I feel like it's very important for everybody to wear a mask, then everybody should wear one. And we've got to honor that.”

At the time Brown discussed the plans, it wasn’t yet determined how the groups will be determined and what emphasis will be placed on injured players still rehabbing or new players that either enrolled in January or are just now enrolling.