(STATS) - The sight of players from FCS national champion North Dakota State returning to workouts on campus Monday will be welcome to many people, maybe even to the Bison's fiercest rivals, who also seek a similar sense of normalcy during an offseason like none before.

Monday is the first day the NCAA will allow member schools to re-open their athletic facilities to student-athletes for voluntary workouts, though without coaching supervision. They come several months after all college sports were shuttered due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

"Our number one priority throughout this spring has been the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, and that will remain the top priority," NDSU coach Matt Entz said last week, echoing a sentiment across college athletics.