"Game Changer" Stadium Built To "Be A Home For Every Bulls Fan"
June 30, 2026 | Football
The University of South Florida's new on-campus football stadium, which opens in 2027, will offer a myriad of state-of-the-art premium experiences. There are 28 luxury suites (which are sold out), 22 living-room boxes, 17 loge boxes and approximately 2,200 club seats at three different levels — with each area offering all-inclusive food, drinks, beer and wine.
But as USF CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins pointed out Monday, that amounts to about 10-percent of the stadium's 35,000-seat capacity. What about the rest? Higgins said about 8,000 seats are earmarked for USF students — "truly our heartbeat,'' he said — and general-seating season-ticket packages begin as low as $25 per game.
Full general-seating information is expected in late summer or early fall.
Priority for seat selection is based on lifetime giving to USF's Bulls Club. The 2026 season-ticket holders, for the 30th anniversary season of USF football and the final one in Raymond James Stadium, will have priority access to tickets in the new stadium.
Higgins said it's important to note that there are seats designed to fit "every budget level'' and each of them will be part of the stadium's "world-class experience.''
"We would put that value up against anybody in all of sports and entertainment,'' Higgins said during Monday's media preview of the stadium's features, which offered a virtual reality/video flyover effect at the Museum of Science and Industry. MOSI, adjacent to USF's Tampa campus, has set up a sales center for anyone interested in the stadium's premium features.
Something for everyone? That's the idea.
"No matter what each fan's specific interest level is, whether it's the premium all-inclusive seats, our living rooms, our loge boxes, some of the great iconic club areas or more of the general season tickets without the premium aspect, we are committed to giving all fans and supporters a world-class experience,'' Higgins said. "Every fan, regardless of budget, will have a home in this new stadium.
"It's really important for us to get the (premium seating) situated first before we move on to the general seating, which is a huge portion of the overall capacity. From the very inception of this on-campus stadium, we wanted to make sure we had a home in our new home for every Bulls fan. Establishing a price point that's as low as $25 per game throughout the season is a true commitment to that. We want to make sure every fan feels good about what their experience will be like next fall.''
Higgins said two of the stadium's most distinctive aspects are the end-zone field club level and the "Ninety-Seven Club.''
The field club is connected via tunnel from USF's locker room. Field-club patrons can cheer on the players as the run onto the field and "give them one final high-five before … what will be another great Bulls win,'' Higgins said.
The Ninety-Seven Club, inspired by the exclusive "speakeasy'' clubs of the American Prohibition era, will be used to entertain premium fans, stakeholders and sponsors. It derives its name from the year 1997 when the USF football program began competing.
For continuing updated information on all stadium features and ticket information, the best source is the dedicated web site, USFBullsStadium.com.
Which brings up another question.
USF Bulls Stadium? What will this new place be called?
"We're continuing to work through those options now,'' Higgins said when asked about stadium naming rights. "We've received tremendous interest. We're pleased with how much demand there is from a partnership standpoint.
"I think from companies to individuals to our 400,000 living alumni, this is a building and a home we've waited on our entire lives. So, the business proposition around it is really strong. There are lots of companies taking notice of that and wanting to engage in those conversations.''
Higgins said all aspects of the fan experience are being explored, including parking, concessions, tailgating and traffic/transportation.
"There are so many things that we have to nail in order to have the absolute best experience in all of college football,'' Higgins said. "We have a lot of industry experts, internal and external, helping us in that regard.
"We're well-aware of the commitment that's needed. We are trying to think of anything and everything that could make for the absolute best experience in all of college football.''
The on-campus stadium already has tangible benefits. Higgins said Coach Brian Hartline and his USF football staff just had four straight official-visit weekends.
"You can see from the recruits and their families what a huge game-changer this is,'' Higgins said. "It's one thing to show people renderings. It's another when you can hear the sounds and see the sights of a transformative and game-changing new home for us. I think it's translating really well as Coach Hartline and his staff have shared it with what's going to be an incredible group of future Bulls.''
Higgins said the stadium and operations center are on budget ($348.5-million) and on time (for a Sept. 4, 2027 opener against the Louisville Cardinals).
And it's getting closer every day.
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
