AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin is sharing plans for a brand-new football practice facility.
UT recently announced it will begin construction on the new space by the end of this year.
It will replace the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, which is located on San Jacinto Boulevard in the same neighborhood as DKR Texas Memorial Stadium, Moody Center and the Longhorns' new basketball practice facility.
The new space will eventually replace the old practice bubble at Denius Fields, with outdoor and indoor football fields.
UT's athletic department said this upgrade is desperately needed as the Longhorns get ready to join the SEC in 2024.
A university official told KVUE’s media partners at the Austin American-Statesman that the new facility will likely include a 100-yard outdoor field and a 100-yard indoor field.
Renderings show the indoor facility across from Moody Center along Robert Dedmon Drive. The outdoor fields will be located along San Jacinto Boulevard.
The Steve Hicks School of Social Work will be moved to the current location of the McCombs School of Business, university officials told the Statesman. The McCombs School of Business could reportedly move into the former Dobie Mall.
The Steve Hicks School of Social Work, which is currently housed in a building from 1933 that was once the University Junior High School, has several legacy oaks, which could be preserved as part of the football facility designs.
According to the Statesman, the new facility will likely mean a return to natural grass at DKR. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian prefers to practice at the stadium for the sake of time, which means natural grass is not currently used because it can’t maintain its playing condition following multiple practices.