PISCATAWAY -- One year after holding training camp on seldom-used recreation fields a bus ride away from its locker room, Rutgers football is expected to have two sparkling new options available right outside the front door.

Rutgers will replace the two grass practice fields outside of the Hale Center with best-in-class grass surfaces featuring the latest technology in maintenance and care, multiple sources told NJ Advance Media.

The two upgraded grass fields will be a part of a fenced-in remodeling of the entire practice complex, which also includes a synthetic turf surface installed during former coach Greg Schiano's tenure in the mid-2000s.

Fans should recognize the fields as the ones located adjacent to the north gate entrance of High Point Solutions Stadium, across from the yellow tailgating lot and Rutgers Visitor's Center.

The project is being funded by Rutgers boosters Jeff and Amy Towers with the largest private single gift in athletic department history, according to sources.

It is not clear when construction will begin or what company will handle the installation but sources indicate that the fields will be completed in time for training camp in August. Rutgers officials and Jeff Towers were not available for comment.

For Rutgers coach Chris Ash -- who envisions building a program based on recruiting and player development -- upgraded practice fields is a significant victory in both regards.

Rutgers football will have two new grass practice fields next training camp as part of a privately funded remodeling of its complex.

As Ash made clear when Rutgers remodeled its weight room with a $1.65 million gift from Ron and Joanna Garutti, modern facilities are a major deciding factor in recruiting battles, especially within the Big Ten arms race where Rutgers has been playing catch-up since joining the conference in 2014.

Ash chose to hold the majority of his first spring camp as head coach in the indoor practice bubble and his first training camp on Livingston campus fields located across from Rutgers Athletics Center because the grass fields outside the Hale Center were too worn down.

With an eye toward player safety, Ash opted against returning to the practice bubble because indoor turf can be too hard on bodies during the demanding daily and sometimes twice-a-day summer practice schedule.

"The grass fields that we have don't have the proper drainage," Ash told NJ Advance Media in February, "so if we get a huge downpour, we're probably not going to be on that grass field much."

How badly is an aesthetic facelift needed? Consider this remark from Ash at that same time:

"I stare out my window every day at the practice facility and you've got old light poles that are tilted. They're not upright. You've got old lights that it looks like if you turn them on, they're going to start to smoke."

The gift is part of the R Big Ten Build fundraising campaign centered around other sports but with crossover effects for football. It represents the earmarking of a previously made donation by the Towers family that was one of the three biggest private gifts in athletics history to jumpstart Rutgers' $100 million initiative.

Rutgers raised $67.2 million, including $25 million in state-issued tax credits, from 1,788 donors as of Nov. 30, according to its website.

It is the vision of athletics director Pat Hobbs and Ash to turn the Hale Center into a football-only facility like is available at Ohio State and Penn State.

RWJBarnabas -- New Jersey's largest medical and healthcare network -- recently made an $18 million investment in Rutgers athletics and thus secured the naming rights to the soon-to-be-built practice arena for the basketball, wrestling and gymnastics programs.

NJ Advance Media reporter Keith Sargeant contributed to this report

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.