South Carolina BOT moving ahead with $350 million in improvements to Williams-Brice Stadium

The University of South Carolina’s Board of Trustees voted on Thursday to continue moving forward with $350 million worth of improvements to Williams-Brice Stadium.

“We are grateful to the Board of Trustees for its leadership and thrilled to continue to see this project take shape and receive the necessary approvals to proceed,” said USC Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati in a release provided by the university. “Our staff, along with key partners in Populous, Legends, Contract Construction and Manhattan Construction Company have invested significant effort in preparing for this next phase. These approvals help us get one step closer towards our goal of beginning construction following the conclusion of the 2025 football season. In the coming months, we will be able to show Gamecock fans finalized concepts I know they will be excited about. These plans will impact all of our fans and significantly elevate their game day experience.”

Donati spoke during the meeting, which was held via teleconference and attended virtually by GamecockCentral.com, and outlined five priority items that the school hoped to accomplish in the course of the project.

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The football program has long been short on premium seating relative to its competitors in the SEC and beyond, so first on the agenda is to upgrade the amount of premium seating available on the west side.

“This will provide a significant amount of additional revenue and enhance the gameday experience for our fans and provide opportunities for future outside events,” Donati said.

Projections show that this portion of the project could create $200 million in additional revenue, according to Donati’s comments.

Among the ideated premium seating options are 10 new “Founder’s Suites” in the 100 level, and 33 suites in the 200 level with connected clubs. There’s also plans for a new field-level club with access to the lower bowl.

Secondly, the school hopes to improve the student section. University architect Derek Gruner on the call, while noting that this portion was still “very much under design” – said that an air-conditioned club was being contemplated for the student section, in addition to more restrooms and a concourse.

New video boards will also be added to the corners of the stadium, giving students better visibility.

Donati mentioned solving “operation inefficiences” as the third pillar of the project. That would include relocating the visitor locker room and adding a loading dock for better access to the field for outside events such as concerts.

The fourth action item heavily considers fan experience: increasing the number of bathrooms, modifying and improving concession stands, and providing “general clean-up” of the concourse to help with space.

Lastly, football players are looking at the possibility of upgraded amenities with improvements to the locker room and training room.

“When we set out to do this project, there are some themes that have emerged that, if you’re going to do something of this magnitude, we wanted to make sure that we get the absolute musts in these porjects executed so we can touch as many fans, positively impact as many fans as possible, and of course, the student-athletes,” Donati said on the call. “This will generate a significant amount of revenue, revenue that wil suppoort all of our programs, all of our 22 sports.”

The project’s budget and corresponding bond resolution were approved by the Board of Trustees at the meeting’s conclusion.

Below is a gallery of renderings provided by the University of South Carolina.

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