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Stadium Renovations
Valley Children’s Stadium (Fresno State)
Fresno State revealed rendering for a $250M upgrade to their athletic facilities on May 9, 2023. Included is a re-imagining of Valley Children’s Stadium (formerly Bulldog Stadium), shown in the renderings. In 2018, Fresno State tried, and failed, to renovate the stadium, which is reportedly in serious need of an upgrade.
“It’s real,” said Fresno State athletic director Terry Tumey. “We are no longer in a hypothetical mode. We understand the external pressures that we have and the changing landscape of collegiate athletics [and] we do think that by showing investment by the university and by the community speaks volumes to the nation as to the importance of our athletics enterprise to what we do as a university.”
The project begins this summer with upgrades to suites on the east side of the stadium. The rest of the project has yet to be funded and reportedly will be on a 2024 city ballot.
Joan C. Edwards Stadium (Marshall)
The first stage of a larger renovation to Joan C. Edwards’ south end zone is a brand new video board. The new video board replaces a small existing one and will be up in time for the 2023 college football season. According to athletic director Christian Spears, it would be one of the largest in college football.
Complete details for the renovation have not yet been released. However, the above rendering shows the removal of the south end zone upper deck stands, which were tarped off and not sold last season. Since the seats were not sold last year, the removal theoretically doesn’t reduce The Joan’s capacity.
FBC Mortgage Stadium (UCF)
Seemingly in response to their move up to the Big 12, UCF announced plans for a “football campus.” The $50 million upgrade to the UCF campus includes a student-athlete complex, club seats, football offices, a practice field, and football “town square.” New renderings depict a lazy river on the campus of the student-athlete development center.
Phase I of the three-phase plan includes the lazy river (named “recovery river”), tailgating space, and recruiting center. Phase II includes the club seats at FBC Mortgage Stadium and football offices. The final phase, Phase III, finishes the renovation with the new training facility.
Bobcat Stadium (Texas State)
Texas State University announced a $4 million donation toward their revamped south end zone complex. The upgrades to the complex – which currently houses Texas State’s development facilities and football offices – will include a new player lounge, weight room, and premium hospitality suites. The total renovation reportedly will cost $37 million, per Texas State’s athletics website.
The San Marcos-based university joined the FBS ranks in 2012, which included a $28 million upgrade to Bobcat Stadium. The facility continues to be one of the premier stadiums in the Sun Belt.
Beaver Stadium (Penn State)
Penn State announced the intention to renovate the interior of Beaver Stadium. In May, they approved the first stage of a $700M major renovation to the venue, putting to bed rumors that Penn State was looking to replace Beaver Stadium. Like many other large renovations in college football, Penn State’s will be multi-phased and expand Beaver Stadium’s usage to non-football game days.
Part of the renovation includes fortifying the pipes in the stadium to prepare to “winterize” the facility. This comes in response to the College Football Playoff Committee announcing plans for on-campus playoff games starting in 2024.
Reser Stadium (Oregon State)
Reser Stadium’s $162-million renovation is expected to be completed in June, per Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes. The renovation revamps seating and adds a new student welcome center to the venue. Per Barnes, Reser Stadium will offer the, “closest proximity to the playing field of any college football stadium in the country.”
Demolition of the old stands began after the 2021 football season.
Cajun Field (Louisiana)
Start remembering a new name for Cajun Field, which is to be named Lady Of Our Lourdes Stadium. Louisiana Athletics Director Bryan Maggard announced the first major renovation to the stadium since it was built in 1971. Included in the renovation:
- New west tower with club seats, club level, loge boxes, and new press box
- New lighting
- Revamped sound system
- Renovated west side seating
- New east side façade
- Office spaces
A $15 million donation over 15 years kickstarted the project. However, a January development revealed the stadium upgrades will not begin in 2023.
Boone Pickens Stadium (Oklahoma State)
Initially reported in March 2022, Oklahoma State announced a $55 million renovation to the seating bowl of Boone Pickens Stadium. This renovation will be a multi-year process, happening each offseason as to not interfere with the Pokes’ football seasons. According to the release, construction began on the north side of the stadium after the 2022 season.
The new seats will increase legroom by six inches and new isles will be built to reduce the number of seats between isles. All benches will be replaced to contoured benches while “several sections” will replace benches with chair backs.
New LED lighting will be introduced to entryways and concourses.
There is no word yet on how this will affect Boone Pickens Stadium’s 60,000 existing capacity. From the verbiage, it’s possible this will reduce the number of seats in the stadium.
Nebraska Memorial Stadium (Nebraska)
The Lincoln Journal Star reported at the end of October that Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium was in need of renovations. According to Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts, the renovation project would be focused on modernizing and preserving the stadium for “the next 50 to 100 years of Memorial Stadium.”
A timeline, renderings, and costs will be released in the coming months. The report mentioned that $200 million could be privately fundraised while the cost could rise to $500 million, “if those funds can be raised,” per NU administrators.
Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue)
The day before the 2022 College Football season kicked off, Purdue announced Phase I of a multi-phased plan to update Ross-Ade Stadium and other student athlete facilities. Following the steps of many stadiums this summer, Purdue is adding premium seating to the south end zone. Also included in Phase I is a new student athlete dining facility.
Construction begins this offseason. A dollar figure was not announced, but the release said the renovation will increase student seating by 5%.
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (Kansas)
Beyond early in the development process, Kansas has begun accepting bids for a design firm to make upgrades to the university– including Kansas Memorial Stadium. A plan approved by KU allotted $350M to the football stadium. That leaves the door open for a massive overhaul or a brand-new facility. The only details on the matter include an “upgraded home” to Kansas football.
The team announced plans to begin a $300M project in September of 2023.
Kyle Field (Texas A&M)
Texas A&M announced a plan to install 23 suites into the south end zone of Kyle Field by the start of the 2023 Kyle Field. Construction began immediately following the 2022 season
Jones AT&T Stadium (Texas Tech)
In July 2022, Texas Tech announced a $200M project to close in the south end zone of Jones AT&T Stadium. The project includes a new athletic development center while keeping the iconic throwback double-T logo scoreboard. It will also add new premium seating options to the stadium.
The school began construction following the 2022 football season with it being anticipated to be completed in time for the 2024 season. Changes to the capacity of Jones AT&T Stadium were not disclosed in the announcement.
Neyland Stadium (Tennessee)
Neyland Stadium– which had just finished installing a new scoreboard and some fan suites– announced more improvements in June. Included are adding V-O-L-S letters to the stadium deck, a premium club, improved stadium wi-fi, and more. You can find the full list of details here.
The added improvements also add $100M to the price tag of the total renovation. The total is now estimated to be $288M. The project won’t be completed until 2026.
Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte)
The current-smallest stadium in the FBS plans to double its 15,314-seating capacity. A $100M project to revamp athletic facilities– including Jerry Richardson Stadium– was announced in May.
Not much is known about this project, but the timetable for the entire multi-phased plan is “12-15 years.” The football stadium is in Phase-I, meaning it will be prioritized ahead of other facilities. Initially, the capacity will be expanded to over 21,000 before moving to 30,000 in a second phase. Charlotte transitions into the American Athletic Conference beginning July 1.
Albertsons Stadium (Boise State)
Boise State installed a new video board, the first phase of a $35M renovation to Albertsons Stadium, ahead of the 2023 season. Included in the plans include an enclosure of the north end zone, raising the capacity from 36,387 to 40,000.
While the total cost of the project has not been made public, estimates range between $32-40M, with a projected finish date in time for the 2025 football season.
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (Memphis)
The University of Memphis announced major renovations planned for Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. It’s estimated the project could cost between $150-200M, it would not only revamp the stadium experience, but the existing grounds around it.
Currently, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium sits in a more industrial and rundown part of town. This renovation would make it more fan-friendly.
It will be complete for the 2025 football season, complete with a revamp of the west side of the stadium, a complete overhaul of the east side tower, and new seating options. Parking will be revamped and an official was cited that part of the drive behind the renovation was to incorporate the multi-use of the facility.
The new grounds around the stadium will be called Liberty Park and encourage more fan engagement pre- and post-game.
Sanford Stadium (Georgia)
Georgia is again renovating the south side of Sanford Stadium, which was given a huge facelift ahead of the 2017 season. This time, the plan to add more premium seating options to the tower and add ADA gates. Currently, there’s eight gates in the planned area, which will expand to 21.
Another purpose of the renovation is to expand the concourses – a much-needed improvement to the stadium. Currently, there is 10′ 6″ of clearance and that will be expanded to 23 feet.
The $68.5M renovation was approved in late May 2022 and will be completed in time for the 2023 season. The second phase – focused on the new tower – will be finished by the 2024 season.
Falcon Stadium (Air Force)
The largest stadium renovation in the history of the Air Force Academy has been in place for a couple years, beginning in early 2020. The $180M project has already replaced two scoreboards, added ribbon scoreboards, and many other small improvements.
The next phase– and the largest by far– is underway. Upgrades to the press box, stands, away sideline, and a new heritage plaza will be added to the 60-year-old venue. This phase will cost $70M and may take up to 18 months to complete, being targeted to finish ahead of the 2024 season.
Check out the entire phased plan here.
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (SMU)
A $50 million donation from alumnus Garry Weber kickstarted a $100M renovation project to Gerald J. Ford Stadium. SMU announced the expansion plans on Jan. 21, 2022. The south end zone– which is currently an open grassy hill– will be expanded on and closed in. Per the report, the stadium’s 32,000 capacity will be expanded.
The end zone complex will feature a three-tiered setup with luxury boxes on the third tier. Since 2013, SMU has dedicated over $250M to athletic facilities. You can find the report here.
JSU Stadium (Jacksonville State)
Plans were approved in July 2022 to go forward with an $80M renovation to the Jacksonville State campus, centered around JSU Stadium. The plans include new housing and a food court for student athletes around the stadium (see below). However, an October 2022 update stated the renovation would have to be toned down.
A new press box, suites, and team offices are also in the plans. The presser quotes Greg Seitz, Jacksonville State director of athletics: “This addition will allow us to build upon one of the best game day experiences in FCS football with a redesigned seating area to include new premium seating.”
Seitz mentioned FCS football since this was before the announcement that JSU would be moving up to Conference-USA. You can find the full announcement here.
The Gamecocks are scheduled to join the FBS ranks on July 1, 2023.
FirstBank Stadium (Vanderbilt)
Vanderbilt announced its largest stadium renovation in 40 years. The renovation to both end zones was originally announced in March, but renderings were revealed in November 2021. Naming rights changed the stadium name from “Vanderbilt Stadium” to “First Bank Stadium” ahead of the 2022 season.
With the renovation comes new locker rooms in both end zones, a completely revamped look to the current horseshoe, and new seating options for fans. Among the new seating options are 28 luxury boxes designed to give fans a “closer feel” to the game.
Renovations are underway with the completion date after the 2023 season.
The football stadium is just part of the athletics facilities revamp and complete details can be found here.
2023 Conference Realignment
Two major realignments are in progress. The first takes effect July 1, 2023 and the other a year later in 2024. Here’s all of the upcoming moves for 2023:
BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF Join Big 12
These four schools left the American Athletic Conference in favor of the Big 12, save BYU who was independent. They were a few of the early dominoes to fall following the bombshell announcement that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. Their move to the Big 12 in July was confirmed last year.
Cincinnati opens up Big 12 play against Oklahoma in late September. BYU plays their first Big 12 Conference game at Kansas, Houston hosts TCU, and UCF plays at Kansas State.
Six New Members Join American Athletic Conference
For years, the AAC has been viewed as a tier in between the Power Five and Group of Five. After losing their three most prominent members, the AAC raided Conference-USA for their top players.
Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA will join the American on July 1. UTSA won the last two Conference-USA championships while UAB and FAU traded titles dating back to 2017. Western Kentucky is the remaining team to have last won the conference in 2016. 2015 is the last time the C-USA Championship featured none of these six teams.
New Mexico State, Liberty, Two FCS Programs Join Conference USA
New Mexico State has played in their fair share of conferences, but last had a conference affiliation in 2017 (Sun Belt). C-USA will be the Aggies’ seventh conference affiliation, not including independence. Liberty joined the FBS ranks in 2018 where they’ve been independent since.
Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State move up to the FBS ranks this season and join C-USA. Sam Houston State won the FCS National Championship in 2020 and appeared in two others dating back to 2011.
2024 Future Conference Realignment
Texas, Oklahoma Join SEC
The first domino fell years ago when Texas and Oklahoma broke the college football world. The announcement came in 2021 and their 2024 departure was confirmed this February. With a new pod system coming to the SEC, the conference released three permanent matchups for teams in March. Texas will play Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Arkansas annually. Oklahoma will play Texas, Missouri, and Florida annually.
USC, UCLA Join Big Ten
The second punch that sent the college football world into a panic came a year after the first, in summer of 2022. The Pac-12’s two Los Angeles schools announced they would join the Big Ten in 2024. The ripple effects from this move caused many to believe college football would condense into two conferences and speculate that those two conferences would break away from the FBS ranks.
Logistics and opponents are still in flux.
Kennesaw State To Join FBS, C-USA
Buried by the 2022 college football season and more major players, Kennesaw State announced their intent to move up to the FBS and join Conference-USA in 2024. The Owls give C-USA an Atlanta footprint.
Stadiums In development
New Ryan Field
Chicago Business reporter Danny Eckler reported in late September that Northwestern plans to tear down existing Ryan Field. A new, $800M stadium would take its place with a “slightly different footprint” and will be privately funded. The goal for the stadium is to host concerts and other events.
The idea is to demolish the existing Ryan Field after the 2023 football season, pending approval from the city of Evanston. The new stadium would open in 2026. There is no concrete plan on where Northwestern would play in the interim.
Unnamed South Florida Football Stadium
USF announced plans to build a new 35,000-seat football stadium in the coming years. Names and dates have not been shared yet. However, a plot of land was recommended to the board for approval.
A report suggested 2027 could be an opening date for this venue.
In May, 2023, the USF board of trustees approved the $340M proposal to make the stadium a reality – quoted as the “biggest hurdle yet,” per the Tampa Bay Times.
New Aloha Stadium (Hawaii)
Details on New Aloha Stadium are scant, but it is projected to open for the 2026 football season. Hawaii is a recurring Week 0 participant, but it is not clear if the stadium would be ready in time for an early season start or not.
New Aloha Stadium will have a seating capacity of 35,000, equivalent to Aztec Stadium and tied for seventh-largest in the Mountain West Conference.
The stadium will be a part of the proposed New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District, which carries a $400 million price tag. Local lawmakers approved the budget in June, 2021.
The current 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium– former location of the NFL’s Pro Bowl– is vacant and scheduled for a late-2022 demolition. The Rainbow Warriors are currently playing at a converted high school complex, Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.