Following the spring game, early summer is usually a quiet time of the year for a college football program. However, Virginia football recently underwent a huge upgrade that will benefit the program for years to come. After two years of construction, the University unveiled a brand-new 90,000 square foot football operations center June 6. While a new facility will not singlehandedly transform the program into an instant winner, it will certainly help with team morale — and winning the commitments of future prized recruits.
The unveiling marks the completion of phase two of Virginia Athletics’ Master Plan, which also includes the construction of two football practice fields and an Olympic Sports Center. Though “master plan” has a nefarious ring to it, and is a phrase typically reserved for Bond villains and cult leaders, Virginia’s $80 million investment signals that its student athletes are priority number one.
Current Cavaliers are loving the new upgrades, as junior kicker Will Bettridge called the new center a “top facility in the country.” Hyperbole or not, the fact that current players are impressed with the new facility will benefit the program for years to come.
The 14,000 square foot weight room ensures players have all they need to reach their physical peak, while the state-of-the-art recovery room and performance nutrition center will help keep them on the field. The sleek locker room also features individualized player lockers and a tribute to Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler, the three former Virginia football players who were tragically killed in a 2022 shooting.
There are also meeting rooms and a players’ lounge, as well as hot and cold tubs. An ultra-modern, centralized layout ensures that training and physical maintenance are both accessible and advanced. Efficiency is a major consideration for college athletes looking to maximize their time and hone their craft while balancing their schoolwork.
“You can walk from one end of the building to the other and meet with coaches, meet with strength staff, meet with nutrition,” sixth-year defensive end Kam Butlersaid. “It is going to make everything a lot more efficient.”
While other schools may find flashier methods of recruiting prospects, Virginia Athletics hopes a more substantive investment in the program itself will pay off. Investments like this may be why the University has become an attractive destination for graduate transfers who aren’t so easily wooed by flash.
Virginia has a reputation of a “basketball school,” and the creation of the football facility hardly signals a shift away from that. But for a flagship state school in the South, Virginia’s football program has been underperforming relative to others. The unveiling of the facility is a major milestone, and it sends a message that football is the big money-making program that it is supposed to be for a school’s athletic department. This does not mean Virginia football is destined to become some pseudo-SEC program — an outcome that may be impossible given Virginia’s academic standards — but there’s no reason for the program to keep trudging through losing season after losing season.
If nothing else, the new facility ought to give the team some mojo. How much this helps with recruiting remains to be seen, but players appear optimistic.
“When you have nice facilities like this, you bring [in] big recruits,” sixth-year safety Antonio Clary said.
It is no secret that Virginia needs to find a way to recruit better — the program has not had a top-40 recruiting class since 2021, per 247 sports. For a 17-year-old prospect on a recruiting visit, it is important that the facility has the pizzazz of a top program — and sixth-year defensive end Ben Smiley III senses a positive shift on this front.
“When I was a recruit, Virginia had kind of a bad name of being outdated,” Smiley said. “Just seeing this transition, it silences the stereotype about the program.”
Being seen as outdated is not an option in the era of cutthroat college football recruiting, as SEC powerhouse programs dish out millions a year to lure in big time prospects. With the scope of Name, Image and Likeness deals increasing each season, high school recruits now have financial benefits to consider, as well as the coaching staff, academics, exposure to professional teams and lucrative facilities that all factor into a thriving college football program. As a result, there is now a renewed race to become the most attractive school for recruits — a race which Virginia can now at least compete in.
Yes, Alabama’s $288 million facility is in its own league, and the Brazilian walnut flooring in Oregon’s weight room sounds unreasonably posh. However, compared to the rest of the ACC, Virginia measures up pretty well. Clemson’s $55 million football facility that was built in 2017 got plenty of attention when the team was routinely making trips to the College Football Playoff — a reminder that winning makes everything look better. Virginia’s new facility is on par with Clemson’s, and it being one of the best in their conference will undoubtedly make a positive impact.
“[The facility] will help us to compete at the highest level, making an ACC Championship a tangible goal,” graduate cornerback Elijah Gaines said.
Virginia might not lead the football facilities race that rages across college campuses, but at least they are off the blocks with an above average one. Of course, the real key to recruiting is improved play — until the team's record takes a jump, the lofted ceilings in the weight room can only do so much. But for now, the 2024 season is shaping up to be full of exciting improvements on and off the playing field.
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