The name of the game in this era of college football is recruiting and one of the cornerstones of establishing dominance when it comes to attracting the top players in the nation are everyday facilities that host the players and coaches.
The University of Florida has long been known as a top destination due to its academics and geographical location, but not too long ago, the Gators’ facilities were lacking in comparison to many of their peers. [autotag]Scott Stricklin[/autotag] made upgrading the program’s infrastructure a top priority when he took over the athletic director position from the legendary Jeremy Foley back in 2016 and appears to have made some significant progress on that front.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports ranked the top-30 college football facilities, which has Florida at No. 12 overall thanks to recent renovations that include the Bill Heavner Center.
“There’s a $400 million renovation coming very soon to iconic Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, but the Gators did get a facelift ahead of the 2022 season with a 140,000-square foot, $85 million facility with everything everyone else has — a barber shop, resort-style pool, updated weight room, recording studios and other perks.”
The University of Florida has officially opened its new $85 million Heavener Football Training Center 🏢pic.twitter.com/Z1zQaE4bIv
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 15, 2022
“Planners visited various programs for ideas and incorporated what they felt was best for Florida, per reports. The best feature might be the Gators’ new locker room, which is modeled after several recent digs at elite programs. Each player’s locker cost roughly $15,000 per unit.”
There are still improvements in the works, so expect to see the Orange and Blue crack the top 10 in the coming rankings
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