Miami Hurricanes to announce new football facilities Friday

Sep 10, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Walton (1) carries the ball during the second half against Florida Atlantic Owls at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami won 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Walton (1) carries the ball during the second half against Florida Atlantic Owls at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami won 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The new facilities  will give Miami the indoor practice facility they have been longing for.

The Miami Hurricanes have been on the rise as of late and they will continue to soar with new facilities as they are set to announce a $30 million indoor football facility and football operations center per Andrea Adelson of ESPN.

The new facility will include an 80,000 square-foot indoor practice field and 20,000 square-foot football operations center in which the coaches’ offices will be located as well as team meeting rooms, position meeting rooms, and a recruiting suite.

The new digs will be built on the existing turf practice field that the Hurricanes use currently and will connect to the weight room and locker rooms.

This news was first pitched by athletic director  Blake James in 2013, and he has expressed a desire to have a facility ever since that time. Currently, the Hurricanes are one of the only schools in the country without an indoor practice facility.

Head coach, Mark Richt, a Miami alum said at the time that he was committed to making the program and university one of the best in the country.

“I love my university, and I want people to understand I’m committed to making it great. We need to help raise the funds to get it done, and I’m hoping it will energize people to know that it needs to be done,” Richt said. “I’m not just giving lip service to it, that I truly believe it and I’m willing to invest my life in a lot of ways and our resources, too.”

This project is expected to take 14 to 18 months to complete with a target opening of summer 2018.

This is a tremendous achievement for the Hurricanes football program. The facility can only help with things such as recruiting, and now the program can use the building as a big selling point. Especially when you take into consideration the fact that Miami has to compete with schools such as Florida and Florida State, both of whom have established themselves as powerhouses over the past couple of years, this is a much-needed investment.

In the hiring of Richt last December, the program took a step towards making a commitment to taking the program to new heights. Now with the announcement of new football facilities, they have shown that they are ready to restore the glory of years past.