Gamecocks’ NFL stars like what they see at new football ops center
April 07, 2019
On Saturday, some of the former Gamecocks playing in the NFL got their first look at the $50 million, 110,000-square-foot Cyndi and Kenneth Long Family Football Operations Center that opened in January.
“It is unbelievable,” said Hayden Hurst, who is going into his second year with the Baltimore Ravens. “If I was a kid coming into college, that is as good as it gets. I don’t know what else you would need. Top to bottom the staircases, what else more you can want?”
“Top of the line,” said Skai Moore, a member of the Indianapolis Colts. “It is a world class facility. Everything in there is just crazy for real. I was shocked when I went into there and saw it. It should be a good recruiting tool.”
That’s what Gamecock coach Will Muschamp is hoping for from the new building as he shows it off to recruits. The building includes a new 26,000-square-foot, two-story weight room, 15-seat movie theater, a barbershop and the Darius Rucker recording studio.
“I mean, who wouldn’t don’t want to be in a recording studio?” said Mike Davis, who just signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears. “That place is ridiculous. They got a recording studio, basketball, shelf of food in there.
“If I was looking at South Carolina now, of course it would sway you because of how much of how fun they would have and how much of a team they had. I would want to come here if I had all the amenities they had. It is lit.”
In addition to the amenities, both Davis and Hurst said the biggest plus would be immediate access to the practice fields. In the past, players would have to cross the road to get to the Proving Grounds for practice each day. Now, players could just walk out the door to the outdoor or indoor fields.
“They can walk straight out to the practice field. Our practice field, we had to walk. We didn’t have an indoor facility, we had the bubble and had to share it,” Davis said. “I’m excited for these guys. I would have slept up there if I could with everything in there and go straight in to practice.”
April 07, 2019
On Saturday, some of the former Gamecocks playing in the NFL got their first look at the $50 million, 110,000-square-foot Cyndi and Kenneth Long Family Football Operations Center that opened in January.
“It is unbelievable,” said Hayden Hurst, who is going into his second year with the Baltimore Ravens. “If I was a kid coming into college, that is as good as it gets. I don’t know what else you would need. Top to bottom the staircases, what else more you can want?”
“Top of the line,” said Skai Moore, a member of the Indianapolis Colts. “It is a world class facility. Everything in there is just crazy for real. I was shocked when I went into there and saw it. It should be a good recruiting tool.”
That’s what Gamecock coach Will Muschamp is hoping for from the new building as he shows it off to recruits. The building includes a new 26,000-square-foot, two-story weight room, 15-seat movie theater, a barbershop and the Darius Rucker recording studio.
“I mean, who wouldn’t don’t want to be in a recording studio?” said Mike Davis, who just signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears. “That place is ridiculous. They got a recording studio, basketball, shelf of food in there.
“If I was looking at South Carolina now, of course it would sway you because of how much of how fun they would have and how much of a team they had. I would want to come here if I had all the amenities they had. It is lit.”
In addition to the amenities, both Davis and Hurst said the biggest plus would be immediate access to the practice fields. In the past, players would have to cross the road to get to the Proving Grounds for practice each day. Now, players could just walk out the door to the outdoor or indoor fields.
“They can walk straight out to the practice field. Our practice field, we had to walk. We didn’t have an indoor facility, we had the bubble and had to share it,” Davis said. “I’m excited for these guys. I would have slept up there if I could with everything in there and go straight in to practice.”