South Alabama Football Facility Construction Collapses During Thunderstorm

The University of South Alabama's football practice facility collapsed Saturday in Mobile, Alabama, during construction.

South Alabama athletic director Joel Erdmann tweeted a photo of the scene:

The school also released the following statement regarding the matter, per Dennis Pillion of AL.com:

"At approximately 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, the structure of the Jaguar Training Center, a covered athletics practice facility that is under construction on the University of South Alabama campus, fell within the construction limits of the site. No workers were present in that area at the time.

"University Police secured the scene of the event, which is under investigation. No determination has been made at this time about the cause."

While thunderstorms have ravaged the area recently, associate athletic director Brian Fremund said it hadn't yet been determined if they played a role in the collapse of the facility, per Pillion.

Alyssa Newton of WPMI tweeted a video of the wreckage:

Nicole Fierro of Local 15 News provided several photos of the aftermath as well:

According to Pillion, the original plan for the facility was for it to be completed in late 2017.

There is no current timetable for completion, but Erdmann said the school is considering several options, including retrying the original plan or creating a new one, per WKRG.

South Alabama has been an FBS school since entering the Sun Belt Conference in 2012.

Last season, the Jaguars went 6-7 and reached a bowl game for just the second time in the brief history of the program.