#ChargeOn Today: A $130M investment in the #UCFuture 🤯
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
That’s a heck of a quote from UCF Athletic Director Terry Mohajir, who dropped that saying before unveiling the new vision for UCF athletics. The future looks bright, my friends 🌟
Trending in the Kingdom: The future of UCF Athletics 🤯
Better make some room for us, Oregon, Clemson and Alabama, because we’re coming for ya. The vision for the future of UCF’s athletic village is big, pricey and futuristic. Under Construction Forever lives on in East Orlando.
Here’s the scoop: Mohajir unveiled the grand vision for UCF’s forward-thinking facilities during Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting. This is a $130 million dollar expansion for all sports, but he fixated on a 3-part expansion, worth $50 million for football, which includes a new “Nicholson Plaza” near the southwest corner of the stadium, enhancements to the Bounce House, including a new “Launch Club” with premium seating and room for corporate events and a revamped student section, along with a redesigned and renovated Wayne Densch for an enhanced athlete experience.
It’s bold, entrepreneur-like, modern, youthful and energetic, yet filled with integrity, community, creativity and excellence. Mohajir said all nine of those words (which is part of UCF’s Creed) were weaved into the lifeblood of this vision for the future of UCF’s athletic village.
What they’re saying 🗣️:
“We will be the only school in the country that has this: a football campus that has a living, learning, performance-environment that includes housing, nutrition, sports medicine, sports performance, academics and career services.”
“I’ve seen a lot of athletics facilities across the country and we will be able to compete 100 percent with anybody in the country. Anybody, with this vision. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State…this will put us on that type of level.” - Mohajir
Explaining Phase 1: Nicholson Plaza and Recovery Cove
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
Phase 1
The creation of “Nicholson Plaza”, inside Knights Boulevard and outside the southwest corner of the Bounce House will be what Mohajir described as a “front porch” and features fountains and tailgating outside the stadium entrance. They’ll need to shift over existing fields to make room for Recovery River and an expanded parking lot. On non-game days it will be used for parking and visitors. It’s more functional for student athletes and “Covegating”, Mohajir said, which leads me to the next point.
The rebranding of McNamara Cove, which will now be used as a recovery pool for players, geared towards faster healing and non-weight bearing training. It’ll also be featured on game days as a revenue stream for tailgating on the river.
Explaining Phase 2: Launch Club and Student Section
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
Phase 2
Say hello to the Launch Club, which is a premium area on the south side of the stadium. The name is a special nod to UCF’s “space heritage” but also features a sweet view: front-row seats to watch launches from the Space Coast, something unique to UCF. “We’re trying to be indigenous to who we are,” Mohajir said, referencing the water features and space history.
They’ll have to take out some seats to make room for the club, but it’ll offer a spot for premium event space, which can be rented out for corporate events, dinners and wedding receptions. It looks out over McNamara Cove, Nicholson Plaza, the Wayne Densch Sports Center and the practice fields.
The space will also house the football coaches’ offices, which enhances recruiting, and be a spot for premium family seating during games, away from fans.
The student section gets some added space as well, with standing room only in the corners of the north end zone, along with more concessions and amenities.
Explaining Phase 3: Wayne Densch expansion, renovation
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
(UCF Athletics)
Phase 3
A complete remodel of the Wayne Dencsh as a “player-only” area, with renovations of the lobby, weight room and team room, which will feature another nod to the space coast.
Mohajir said it’s all a functionality of performance, safety and functionality. He showed renderings of the weight room with split-faced block, and it’s a part of the recruiting trail. Mohajir called the weight room “the focal point of any athletics department.”
So, why unveil these plans now? Mohajir is a straight-shooter and told the board it’s all about positioning UCF to be at the forefront of college football (aka expansion). The reshaping of the athletics portion of campus is a huge tool in that goal.
“We have to be prepared and ready,” Mohajir said. “And we are. We are prepared. We are ready. This information out today will make national news. We’ll be the only school in America that has a football campus…the only thing we can do is create more value of our program. I think we’re doing that. Eyeballs. Donors. Season ticket holders. It creates a lot of value. We’re at 97 percent capacity right now. Those are by choice. There’s not a lot of schools in the country that are there. I would say that we are poised and ready to be as strong as any national brand in the country.”
Been here before 💁♂️: This isn’t new territory for the Knights AD, who oversaw Arkansas State’s $90 million dollar facility upgrade project in 2017, including $29 million for a 66,533-square foot student-athletes building similar to UCF’s Wayne Densch.
Give me a Knugget 🐴: The estimated amount for these football facility upgrades is $50 million, according to Mohajir. The entire construction of Bounce House Stadium in 2005 cost $54 million to build.
Knights of the Roundup ⚽🏈🏐
⚽ Fresh off signing a brand new contract, Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak’s UCF women’s soccer team shut out Texas, 4-0, to open up the season, with an excellent Twitter troll to go along with it. It’s the largest margin of victory in a home opener since 2016.
⚽ UCF’s men’s soccer team was picked to finish first in the American Conference’s preseason poll. They won the conference title last year. Keep an eye on Yanis Leerman, who last season became the ninth All-American in program history.
🏐 Also named the conference preseason favorites, UCF Volleyball was picked as an unanimous selection to win the conference again. Outside hitter McKenna Melville was named the preseason player of the year. She led the team with nearly 300 kills last season.
🏈 Gus Malzahn convinced yet another former Auburn transfer to come down to UCF. Former Tigers and Wildcats quarterback Joey Gatewood, who’s from Florida, is reportedly joining the Knights. The former four-star recruit and No. 1 athlete in the 2018 class. Not only did Malzahn get him to sign with Auburn in 2018, but UCF offensive analyst Darin Hinshaw was Gatewood’s co-offensive coordinator when he was with Kentucky in 2019.