What Virginia's $80 million football facility means for the program – The Cavalier Daily

The current Cavaliers love 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 everything they need to reach their physical peak, while the state-of-the-art recovery room and performance nutrition center will keep them on the field. The sleek locker room also features individualized player lockers and a tribute to Lavel Davis Jr., DSean Perry and Devin Chandler, the three former Virginia football players who were tragically killed in a shooting in 2022.

There are also meeting rooms, a players' lounge and hot and cold pools. A state-of-the-art, centralized layout ensures training and physical maintenance are both accessible and advanced. Efficiency is an important consideration for college athletes who want to maximize their time and hone their craft while balancing schoolwork.

You can walk from one end of the building to the other and meet coaches, meet strength staff, meet nutrition, sixth-year defensive end Kam Butlersaid. It's going to make everything a lot more efficient.

While other schools might think so flashier methods In terms of recruiting prospects, Virginia Athletics is hoping that a more substantial investment in the program itself will pay off. These types of investments may be why college has become an attractive destination for graduates who are not easily swayed by speed traps.

Virginia has a reputation as a basketball school, and the creation of the football facility hardly signals a shift from that. But for a top state school in the South, Virginia's football program is underperforming compared to others. The unveiling of the facility is a major milestone and sends the message that football is the big money-making program it should be for a school's athletic department. This doesn't mean that Virginia football is destined to become some pseudo-SEC program, an outcome that may be impossible given Virginia's academic standards, but there is no reason for the program to struggle season after losing season keep trudging.

If nothing else, the new facility should give the team some mojo. How much this helps with recruiting remains to be seen, but players seem optimistic.

When you have such nice facilities, take it with you [in] big recruits, said sixth-year safety Antonio Clary.

It's no secret that Virginia needs to find a way to recruit better. The program hasn't had a top-40 recruiting class since 2021, per 247 sports. For a 17-year-old prospect on a recruiting visit, it's important that the facility has the pizzazz of a top program and sixth-year defensive end Ben Smiley III is feeling a positive shift on this front.

When I was a recruit, Virginia had a bad name because it was outdated, Smiley said. Just seeing this transition silences the stereotype about the show.

Being seen as obsolete is not an option in the era of cutthroat recruiting in college football, as the SEC's powerhouse programs shell out millions per year to land big prospects. With the scope of Name, Image and Likeness deals increasing Each season, high school players now have to consider financial benefits, as well as the coaching staff, academics, exposure to professional teams and lucrative facilities that all play a role in a thriving college football program. As a result, there is now a renewed race to become the most attractive school for recruits, a race in which Virginia can now at least participate.

Yes, Alabama's $288 million facility is next-level, and the Brazilian walnut floor in Oregon's weight room sounds unreasonably chic. However, compared to the rest of the ACC, Virginia is doing quite well. Clemson's $55 million football facility, built in 2017, received a lot of attention when the team made routine 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 being one of the best in their conference, it will undoubtedly have a positive impact.

[The facility] will help us compete at the highest level, making an ACC Championship a tangible goal, said graduate cornerback Elijah Gaines.

Virginia may not be the frontrunner in the football facilities race raging across college campuses, but at least they're above average outside the blocks. The real key to recruitment is natural improved game Until the team's record takes a leap, the high ceilings in the weight room can only do so much. But for now, the 2024 season will be full of exciting improvements both on and off the playing field.