Who has the best facilities in college football?

Five teams tied for eighth place: Oklahoma, Texas, Penn State, Texas A&M and LSU all got three votes.

The updated Barry Switzer Center in Oklahoma is one of the most futuristic pads in the country. There’s the Red Room – meeting room with “Boomer” and “Sooner” decorating the walls, a Heisman hallway, and a snack bar with unlimited options. The Sooners recovery pool even has mood lighting. Oklahoma also introduced an improved video map and at 2,356 square feet (38 feet high by 62 feet wide), the north map is more than three times larger than its previous appearance.

The Longhorns upgraded Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium’s 11-year-old “Godzillatron” above the South End in August 2017 with new, brighter video screens. At the time, it was the fourth-largest scoreboard in college football. The new player lockers were the best addition to the Big 12 in 2018, with each locker featuring 43-inch monitors with measurable metrics and highlights costing just over $10,000 (per locker). “New-age” player lockers have become a thing with names and numerical likenesses and are a necessity to keep up with others in recruiting. When a program hosts a tour, you want the player to see everything. This fall, the Longhorns unveiled their $175 million South Zone project.

Penn State, among many impressive facilities, is justifiably proud of The Louis and Mildred Lasch football building. Steps from Beaver Stadium, the 89,000 square foot building is comparable to professional sports facilities. Within the Lasch building are the 13,000 square foot weight room, huge locker room, athletic training facilities, hot tub, meeting rooms, video production suite, coaches/le staff, a players’ lounge and the academic support center with a computer. room.

Texas A&M’s newly renovated Bright Football Complex, located in the south area of ​​Kyle Field, is nothing short of spectacular. Debuting in 2014, the $20.8 million renovation is one of the most lavish palaces in college football. The pictures don’t do the locker rooms at Texas A&M justice. With recessed LED lighting throughout, it’s almost like stepping into an immersive futuristic playground – and there are even personal Twitter handles in each player’s locker. And if you haven’t seen the Aggies hydrotherapy pool, it’s worth the search. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the Aggies’ luxurious break rooms with TV screens above each sink in the mirror.

Call it good timing. LSU’s first season in 2019 as part of its new year-long transformation of its football operations building paid off in a big way for the Tigers, who won a national championship that season. Packed with state-of-the-art upgrades, the Tigers have everything from a student-athlete nutrition center to a futuristic locker room that features customizable player pods for a low $28 million. Part of that came from a donation via former LSU All-American Tyrann Mathieu. New coach Brian Kelly has a lot to do here.