The rebuilding of McNeese State athletics is in full swing, and not just on the fields of play either.

McNeese football is in the process of building a $1.1 million locker room that school officials say is on pace to being finished in early July, which is plenty of time before the new season kicks off Sept. 3 at home against Tarleton State.

Calling it a “state-of-the-art facility,” McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer said it is the latest in a series of post-hurricane upgrades.

“It will be something we can be proud of and is another way we are investing in the future of the university,” Schroyer said.

The new locker room will be inside the Jack Doland Fieldhouse.

With 116 custom hybrid lockers, there will be more than enough room if the Cowboys were to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level, which school officials have openly talked about.

“We want to give our student-athletes the best we can,” Schroyer said. “This will really help.”

The lockers are made from a gray nanotechnology laminate which is self-healing and scratch resistant on the sides, doors, and footlocker face with upper and lower compartments, officials said.

“I am very excited about our new locker room,” said head coach Gary Goff, who is starting his second year at McNeese. “The new state-of-the-art lockers will not only provide our team with a facility to be extremely proud of, but will also assist in our recruiting efforts. Every student-athlete wants a nice locker room and this will be one of the best.”

According to a school news release, each of the lockers will include stainless steel pull-out, tilt-down shoulder pad, and knee brace gear rack and tray with a fan drying system integrated to circulate air in the pad compartment, forcing the air into the pads. The lockers will also include a helmet fan drying system, electrical outlets with two USB charging ports, LED lights, a lift-up headrest with fold-down backrest system, footlocker box with Digilock capabilities.

“I’m beyond excited about our new football locker room,” Schroyer said. “This project will be first class in every way. We took no shortcuts. This will help us recruit the student-athletes we need to get back to where we all expect to be in football: nationally relevant and regionally dominant, period.

“The truth is, our football program was neglected and underfunded for about a decade. The day this administration team got in place, we started reversing that trend and getting the program back on track. We have accomplished a lot as a department the last few years and every sport is important to this department. However, make no mistake, our two revenue-generating sports — football and men’s basketball — need to win. When they win, every sport will reap the benefits.”

The lockers statement from McNeese comes one day after FEMA said McNeese will receive $1,345,786.52 for Hurricane Laura-related repairs. The funding has been earmarked for repairs to the McNeese football facility but has nothing to do with the locker room upgrades.

That money is likely to go toward the remaining costly football project: a new press box. Officials said they hope groundbreaking on that project comes this month.

“I want that to be something that wows people, not just on the first day, but 10 to 15 years down the road,” Schroyer said.