A look inside UK Football's new training facility

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky football has made a huge jump to the top when it comes to best college football facilities in the country. After 19 months of construction and $45 million spent, UK President Eli Capilouto and Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart awarded head coach Mark Stoops and the UK Football program with a new state-of-the-art football facility.

The local media toured the building's 100,000 square feet on Friday, and though the facility wasn't completely finished, there is no doubt it has brought Kentucky toe to toe with its competitors.

Here is a closer look inside the new Kentucky football training facility:

When you walk out of the summer heat and into the cool air of the main entrance, the first thing that will catch your eye is the display of six Kentucky mannequin, each layered in a different uniform combination. Nestled around the display are trophies the Wildcats have achieved for past championships or bowl games.

The main entrance also offers recruits a glance at what they look like in a Kentucky uniform and gives them a burst of adrenaline when a 360-degree screen replicates what it's like to run out of the tunnel at Commonwealth Stadium.

And if that doesn't bring Kentucky football to life for a recruit, he can personally customize his name and number on any UK jersey.

Next, the smell of fresh rubber and an army of metal machines in the 15,000 square foot weight room await. Right as you enter the weight room there is an astro-turf track for warmups and speed drills. Next to the track there are medicine-balls, specialty workout machines, 20 multi-functional racks and a cardio room and the second floor.

The walls in the back, right corner of the weight room had to be built with reinforced concrete because the medicine-balls did a little bit more damage than intended.

Connected to the weight room is the athletic training room and sports medicine facility. There, an X-ray machine, an underwater treadmill, hot and cold tubs, and two exam rooms reside.

Exiting the training room and passing the hallway will take you to the dining room and cafeteria. It has a full kitchen in the back and is staffed with an executive performance chef. The area is able to sit around 90 players at a time.

Reentering the hallway, there are two displays that will make you stop and stare.

The first, on the left, is the $250,000 Gatorade Fuel Bar. The bar, as a pat of UK Athletics' contract with Gatorade, provides players a plethora of shakes, drinks and snacks.

On the right side of the hallway is the interactive NFL wall. The wall has gloves with the logos of all 32 NFL teams, and a display that features all Kentucky players -- current and past -- in the NFL. Players can be searched by name, what round they were drafted in and more.

Oh yeah, and because most of the current Kentucky players forget their student ID -- student ID and faculty ID were the only ways of entry into the building -- players can now enter the building through retina eye scanners.

Down the hallway and to the right is the player lounge. The lounge is stocked full with lazy boy chairs, flat screen TVs, video games, a pool table, a shuffleboard table and a ping-pong table.

But before entering the players' lounge, there's more Nike apparel and UK gear in a display case on one side of the wall and a team-by-team look at UK's opponents on the other.

Adjacent to the players' lounge is the locker room, the new team meeting for both practice and games. Immediately walking into the doorway, a UK logo on the ceiling lights up the room and the big screen directly in front of you will grab your attention. There are 120 lockers, all personalized with player's pictures, names and numbers.

The front right corner of the locker room is home to the barber shop (you read that right). There are no official barbers on staff, as of now the players cut each others hair.

Next to the barber shop are two hot tubs. To the right of the hot tubs (now exiting the locker room) is the plunge pool. Able to hold up to 40 players, the plunge pool stays at 52 degrees and provides access from the two outdoor fields for players to cool off and recover after practice.

Moving up to the second floor, the reception room is the first room on the right. It overlooks the weight room and is connected to the CATS (Center for Academic and Tutorial Services) study room, which is still 4-6 weeks away from being finished.

Down the hall are the position meeting rooms and the coaches offices. On the walls are the UK fight song shaped into the new Wildcat logo and pictures of Kentucky football greats.

Stoops' office is at the end of the hallway and overlooks both practice fields. There is even a patio he can walk out to if he wants to get some fresh air. Stoops' office also features three flat-screen TVs, a bathroom and a shower.

Across the hall from the position meeting rooms is the main meeting room. It contains 162 seats, each with a foldable desk. There are two 82-inch flat-screen TVs, one on each side of the giant projector in the middle, whiteboards, and a sound system with a subwoofer. The room is comfortable and multi-dimensional, as it can be used as a movie theater or a classroom -- or both.

Finally, we get to the practice fields. The Bermuda grass practice fields were in great shape and show no signs of deteriorating thanks to some great summer weather. The field is surrounded by turf training areas and the steps pictured below are labeled as the "Encouragement Stairs."

There you have it, an inside look at UK's $45 million training facility.

Stoops, now in his fourth year as head coach, has the facilities to recruit against the best. He's not only excited for his players, but for the program and the future of Kentucky football.

"I think we all feel very proud and very happy for the players because they've been through a lot and they've worked hard," Stoops said. "They're good kids and we promised them that, a lot of them, when we were recruiting them and to see it come to fruition and get in there, it's surreal, to be honest with you.

"To get this building done, it's going to help Kentucky football for a long time."