USC football to get new performance center, second full-length practice field: Why it matters |

USC announced its football program will receive a new performance center on Thursday as a part of a larger initiative to “transform” its athletic facilities. Here’s what you need to know:

• The football program will receive a three-level performance center and a second full-length practice field. The program currently has one full-length practice field and a second that is less than 100 yards long.
• The new football complex will feature a new locker room, player lounges, a recovery hub, and nutrition and sports sciences services along with a weight room, equipment room and training room. There will also be a team auditorium, position rooms, recruiting areas and staff offices.
• USC announced Rawlinson Stadium, the new home for women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse, last week. On Thursday, the university also announced there will be enhancements to the baseball stadium — Dedeaux Field.

New performance center coming soon 👀✌️

It’ll include three levels dedicated to team operations as well as a rooftop hospitality deck and player lounge, as well as a second full-length practice field.

The new complex will feature student-athlete-centric spaces, including a…

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) June 15, 2023

What does this mean for the Trojans?

New facilities were desperately needed for USC’s football program. The university completed the John McKay Center in 2012, but 11 years is an eternity in college athletics. While it’s a nice facility, USC is one of the rare high-profile football programs that still shares its weight room with other sports. There wasn’t enough office space to house a robust recruiting or support staff in the building either.

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A new facility will help solve those problems and bring USC into the modern age of the college football arms race. It should help on the recruiting side of things as well. Hiring Lincoln Riley was a sign that USC wanted to be a serious football program again. Moving to the Big Ten was another signal of that. New facilities are the latest step the program had to take.

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(Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today)

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