Cole Field House served as the home for the Maryland men’s basketball team from 1955 until 2002, when the Terps began playing at the newly constructed Xfinity Center.

In November of 2014, the university announced plans to transform the historic building. Part of those renovations included building the Terrapin Performance Center, which will be the headquarters for the football program. The center will include a strength and conditioning facility and an indoor practice field.

The project likely won’t be fully finished until 2018, but Maryland commits for 2017 are taking notice.

“It speaks a lot to where the program is going,” three-star wide receiver MJ Jarrell said. “They’re investing in us and building around us. It’s a great thing.”

When Jarrell and fellow commit Jonathan Doerer took their respective visits to the campus, both players said the coaches frequently brought up $155 million renovations. They watched videos and looked at pictures of the finished product.

The staff even went as far as to tell both Jarrell and Doerer that the new practice facility would be the best in the NCAA.

“It’s a great bonus. Few schools can offer something like this,” Doerer said. “It’s a luxury that’s not very common.”

In June, defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim said the project will be an upgrade from Gossett Team House and a new way to attract recruits.

So far, the recruits are buying in. Long snapper Brock Sassler, who will arrive in College Park next year, said these improvements show that the university is invested in the football program.

“It’s not tangible, but you can feel the excitement,” Sassler said.

Five-star defensive end Josh Kaindoh and four-star defensive tackle Cam Spence also said they took the renovations into consideration when making their college decisions. After all, the 2017 class will be the first group to experience the upgrades.

The Diamondback reported on Oct. 30 that the new Cole Field House will include an underground tunnel the team will soon use to enter Maryland Stadium, Jarrell was already excited to run out of the tunnel for his first college game next fall, but running out of the underground tunnel is even more appealing.

“It’s something cool that definitely stood out,” Jarrell said. “It brings that college feel and college vibes. It’ll be a surreal feeling.”