Cincinnati enters college football's elite facilities space

Yes, House Settlement. Yes, revenue sharing. Yes, Name, Image and Likeness. 

But facilities still matter, and Cincinnati just waded into the deep end of the college pool.

The Bearcats on Wednesday held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their much-anticipated, long-awaited new football nerve center.

The 210,000-square foot Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Athletics Performance Center, the gleaming culmination of the years-long, $134 million project, was formally opened.

"The Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Performance Center is a game-changer," said Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield, the former Appalachian State and Louisville head man who's entering a pivotal third season atop the Bearcats program. "Every inch of this space is designed to help our players grow, recover and prepare. 

"It's one of the finest facilities in the country. It shows our commitment to being elite in everything we do. I'm thankful to Larry and Rhonda Sheakley and all of our supporters for investing in our student-athletes to make this vision a reality."

The centerpiece of the new digs is the 120-yard full-sized indoor football field; the complex also boasts a spectacular new weight room, nutrition center and revamped, state-of-the-art meeting rooms for both full-team and positional needs.

Cincinnati released a fly-by video of its new football mansion via social media:

Cincinnati joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023 and hasn't reached a postseason bowl game since it vaulted to Power Conference membership. The Bearcats have notable home Big 12 games this season against Iowa State, rival UCF and BYU, among others this fall.