Miami football might be making headway in the facilities arms races with its ACC brethren.
According to a report in the Miami Herald, which cited sources, the Hurricanes are in the midst of raising money for an indoor facility. Miami is currently the only program in the conference without an indoor facility or publicly announced plans to build one.
According to the Miami Herald, coaches and current players have been shown renderings of the proposed facility, and coaches have been using it as a recruiting tool.
“Coach Richt told me about it and said it’s going where the practice field is now,” said Brian Polendey, a 2017 tight end commit out of Denton, Texas, told the Herald.
“He said it’s going to be really impressive and that it will be a multiyear project. It shows that he cares about making this program the best it can possibly be.”
The possible future facility will feature a full-sized football field, a weight room and offices for the coaches. Cost are estimated between $20 and $30 million.
While there’s no timetable for the start of the project, the need was made evident during the Hurricanes’ pro day, which was cut short because of heavy rains. Coach Mark Richt expressed his dismay because his players were not able to show pro scouts their best selves in the sloppy conditions.
“It was sad, really,” Richt, who attended the UM combine, told reporters the next day. “It was sad that it was a downpour at the moment they needed to be able to show what they could do.
“They fought through the adversity, and I think the pro scouts appreciated that and saw that. I did like how they handled adversity. That’s part of the evaluation process.
“[But] not to have a place where they could have the type of day that they’ve been working so hard for, for so long — not only from the end of the season to now, but really their whole life they’re waiting for that opportunity — was just tough on them.”
For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
