AUBURN | Allen Greene stood at the podium and listed off facts about Auburn's new Football Performance Center: 12 acres, the size of five football fields (or 50 basketball courts), 95,000 square football indoor football facility, a 50-person hydrotherapy plunge pool.
Oh, and the $92 million it requires to build.
"It truly is the gold standard," the Auburn athletic director said.
Auburn University President Jay Gogue joined Greene, members of the Board of Trustees, Tigers' linebacker Owen Pappoe and other university dignitaries for the official groundbreaking of the facility that, per Greene, is expected to be finished in 12 to 15 months. It is the largest project the athletic department has undertaken, bypassing Auburn Arena by $6 million. While the structure will be grand in size, Greene stated the comfort of the student-athlete is of the utmost importance.
"You can build the Taj Mahal of whatever," Greene said. "We don't need big offices. We don't need certain things. We need the student-athletes to feel like this is their home. It's amazing how much time y'all spend in this facility, the student-athletes do. They are first and foremost in everything that we do."
Pappoe, noting that he visited many facilities as a five-star recruit, said nothing compares to what this facility will encompass from the renderings he has seen. The one notable absence was the linebacker's coach, Bryan Harsin, who is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Greene spoke with the coach earlier in the day, stating that Harsin was feeling well and recovering. He gave the athletic director an idea of why this facility will be crucial, especially in one particular area.
"You don't win in this league without recruiting, regardless of what sport you play," Greene said. "You've got to recruit. And this facility is going to help us do that."
Overall, the facility will consist of 233,400 square feet, two full-sized practice fields with natural turf and a vast array of features that will be game-changers for the Tigers.
"We're going to win championships," Greene said. "Coach Harsin's here to win championships. And this facility speaks to that."
