Penn State entered the next phase of the NCAA's plan for the reacclimation of collegiate sports on Monday, which allowed for another step forward with the loosening of restrictions.

The NCAA's guidelines for Phase Three of its reopening plan are the following:

1. Vulnerable student-athletes, athletics health care providers, coaches and athletics personnel can resume in-person interactions, but should practice physical distancing, minimizing exposure to settings where such distancing is not practical.

2. Gyms and common areas where student-athletes and staff are likely to congregate and interact can reopen if appropriate sanitation protocols are implemented, but even low-risk populations should consider minimizing time spent in crowded environments.

3. Unrestricted staffing may resume.

Speaking on a Zoom call with members of the media on Wednesday afternoon, Penn State long snapper Chris Stoll said that, while the restrictions have changed slightly, the attitude the Nittany Lions have carried into workouts hasn't.

"Our guys are really good," Stoll said. "If it's voluntary or if it's mandatory, our guys are there, our guys are working. We love to be around each other and push each other during workouts, so I don't see any change."

Working out with his roommates rather than the other specialists as he usually would, the changed routine has offered some eye-opening experiences for Stoll.

"I've been working with a wide receiver and a defensive end, and it's really just different because you see the strength of those guys and how hard they work," Stoll said.

According to Stoll, the Nittany Lions have been conducting their running and strength work in groups of 18 players, where normally there might be somewhere close to 50 or 60 players to a group.

That, Stoll said, has forced different leaders to step up where they might have been overshadowed by other voices before.

"You really get to see the leadership of everybody, the camaraderie, how everybody pushes everybody," Stoll said. "It's really good to see and it's really neat to be a part of."

Of course, it is not lost on Stoll that he and his teammates may or may not receive the payoff for everything they've put in since Penn State brought them back to campus.

The Big Ten recenly announced its intent to move to a conference-only season, a decision Stoll said he supports. But even then, there is significant doubt over whether there will be a college football season this fall.

"I'd think I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't think about those things," Stoll said. "They're all over social media, getting ESPN updates all the time...I really believe that, if we just keep putting our work in, that's the only thing we can control right now. The other stuff, that's out of our control. The only thing we can do is keep working hard, keep working on our crafts, and go from there."

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