UCLA has always been near the bottom of the list when it comes to football facilities in the Pac-12.
But that will soon change if Jim Mora has anything to do with it.
Credit the recent success of the Bruins under the second-year coach for the school’s decision to upgrade its football infrastructure via a $50 million training facility that will be built on Spaulding Field, where the team practices.“To be able to add a football facility that will help us with player development and growth is simply fantastic,’” Mora said in a statement.
Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said the facility would “continue to propel UCLA football forward by allowing coaches and student-athletes to teach, learn and develop in a state-of-the-art facility.
Mora’s turnaround of the football program has created a lot of buzz amongst a fanbase that generally cares more about basketball, which is why the building will be financed entirely with private donations.
The building is by itself unlikely to help UCLA keep up with the college football Joneses -- USC’s new McKay Center cost $70 million and Alabama just spent $9 million on its weight room alone -- but it will definitely make the Bruins more competitive in recruiting and signal to prospects that it really, truly does care about football.