The USF Board of Trustees took the next step Tuesday in the lengthy trip toward an on-campus football stadium.
As part of a series of consent agenda items the board signed off on without comment, it approved up to $22 million for the design phase of the project.
As a result, partners Barton Marlow and Populous will begin putting together plans for a 35,000-seat stadium near the new indoor practice facility on the east side of the Tampa campus.
The issue — particularly where the funding will come from — was discussed heavily during the board’s finance committee meeting last month.
The money for the planning phase will not come from state funds. Instead, USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman told the committee that the money will come from non-state sources, such as philanthropic gifts and investment earnings — adding that the university already has “well over” $22 million for the project.
The scope of the plan, along with a final cost — which the trustees will have to sign off on — won’t come until after the design phase finishes. Previous rejected proposals came in between $300-350 million.
As for what’s next, the developers will meet with stakeholders like students, administrators, sports officials, and alumni to determine what they would like to see in a stadium. The process is expected to take about 12 months.
The university hopes to have the stadium completed in time for the 2026 football season.
USF has played its home football games at Raymond James Stadium since the program was formed in 1998.
