The University of South Florida formally broke ground on a new on-campus football stadium, which is set to open in time for the 2027 season.
USF students, staff and alumni attended alongside elected Florida officials to hear about the new facility and witness the symbolic “turning of soil” signaling the start of construction.
University President Rhea Law opened the ceremony by highlighting the stadium's significance for the school and thanking donors. She added that the stadium won't only be used for football.
“Certainly, it will be USF football, but it's going to be women's lacrosse, it's going to be concerts, it's going to be festivals, it's going to be other events,” said Law.
“We want to activate this throughout the year so there's lots of reasons for you to come back to the University of South Florida and celebrate with us.”
Four new renderings of the stadium were released earlier in the week. USF officials said the design should help the Bulls gain an advantage through increased morale — and hopefully fan turnout.
The project is estimated to cost $340 million and seat roughly 35,000 people.
The stadium will have an outdoor north lawn area dedicated to tailgating, live music and non-game day events.
The Gonzmart Family Foundation and the Horton Family Foundation donated $1 million each to help fund the stadium ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony.
“The support that we've gotten and are continuing to get will allow us to recruit, will allow us to retain, and will allow us to develop elite football players and elite young men,” said USF football coach Alex Golesh.
USF Athletics Vice President Michael Kelly said he first started dreaming about an on-campus stadium for the university in the 1990s and is glad to see it’s finally becoming a reality.
"This stadium is going to be the centerpiece of what I've said many times, and I still believe it, to the core of my heart, will be one of the finest athletic districts in all of college sports,” said Kelly.
All stadium west-side seating will be dedicated to USF students. Some other amenities included on the home side will be student-only concessions, specialty seating in the shape of a green Bull U logo and a DJ deck.
"This stadium is bigger than football. It's a reminder to USF that we can and we will continue to do big things everywhere you look,” said Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford. “The University of South Florida is on the rise.”
The football team didn't fare so well on its current home field, falling to Navy 28-7 Saturday in its homecoming game at Raymond James Stadium.
