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Sometime in the last three years, a full-length indoor practice facility became the latest must-have selling point in major college football.
According to a report out of Miami this month, the Hurricanes are one of just four power-conference teams without an indoor facility.
They come in all shapes and sizes. Alabama boasts that the Tide practice on the largest in the country, as the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility is at least 130 yards long.
Mississippi State (more than 50 yards) and Missouri (90 yards) are the only SEC schools that don’t have a full-length indoor practice field either already built or under construction. There have been several developments within the last year:
- Florida opened a gorgeous $15 million indoor facility in August.
- Georgia is practicing 3 miles away from its football facilities for the entirety of 2016 due to construction on a $30 million indoor facility.
- South Carolina opened a $14.3 million facility in November, then announced plans to name the building after Steve Spurrier and his wife, Jerri.
SEC programs no longer are subjected to the conditions of the weather. Afternoon thunderstorm? Great. Get out of the heat and rain and practice in a spacious, climate-controlled indoor facility.
Besides being practical, the indoor practice fields offer a nice perk to be able to sell to high school football players during recruiting.
This is not meant as a direct comparison between each SEC team’s indoor field. But with all the buzz lately about the importance of indoor facilities (and the construction), we figured we’d collect and pass along images of all 14.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas Razorbacks
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Today's forecast? 100% chance of practice. #IPF #GoGators pic.twitter.com/yjRyFwXCo8
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 22, 2015
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Missouri Tigers
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Ole Miss Rebels
South Carolina Gamecocks
Tennessee Volunteers
Texas A&M Aggies
Vanderbilt Commodores
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
