Updating each SEC school’s most recent stadium renovations
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Texas A&M’s football program is in the midst of a massive offseason overhaul of Kyle Field, including a complete reconstruction of the West side of the stadium.
Take a look at how the stadium looks with more than seven months until the start of the 2015 stadium:
West side of Kyle Field on the last night of January 2015: pic.twitter.com/f6opExqB8A
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) February 1, 2015
The Aggies’ stadium renovations inspired SDS to look into the last stadium upgrades to each SEC program’s home turf. Some stadiums simply changed field surfaces or upgraded video boards, while others added seating and luxury boxes and even enclosed end zones in the stadium.
| Team (Stadium) | Renovations | Year | New capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama
(Bryant-Denny Stadium) |
South end zone expansion to add seating and skyboxes
Upgraded video and audio systems |
2009-10 | 101,821 |
| Arkansas
(D.W.R. Razorback Stadium) |
Enclosed North end zone to add seating
Upgraded LED screen |
2011-12 | 72,000 (expandable to 80,000) |
| *Auburn
(Jordan-Hare Stadium) |
New HD LED video board installed | 2007 | 87,451 |
| Florida
(Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) |
Upgraded concourse in West stands | 2011 | 88,548 |
| Georgia
(Sanford Stadium) |
Upgraded video boards | 2011 | 92,746 |
| Kentucky
(Commonwealth Stadium) |
Upgraded press box, club suites, concourses, bathrooms
Reduction of capacity |
2014-present | 61,000 (once completed) |
| LSU
(Tiger Stadium) |
South end zone upper deck expansion, new suites and club seating | 2012-14 | 102,321 |
| Mississippi State
(Davis Wade Stadium) |
Added seating in North end zone
New concourse in West stands New North end zone video board |
2014 | 61,337 |
| Missouri
(Faurot Field) |
Press box upgraded
Rock “M” and grass berm moved closer to North end zone Upper bowl seating added to East stands |
2012-14 | 71,168 |
| **Ole Miss
(Vaught-Hemingway Stadium) |
Replaced AstroPlay field surface with field turf | 2009 | 60,580 |
| South Carolina
(Williams-Brice Stadium) |
Installed new HD video board
Added tailgating area adjacent to stadium |
2012 | 80,250 |
| Tennessee
(Neyland Stadium) |
Installed club seats
Renovated executive suites and press box and upper deck concourse in West stands. Installed statue of General Neyland outside stadium |
2010 | 102,455 |
| Texas A&M
(Kyle Field) |
Renovation of lower deck seating
Addition of seating and media area in South end zone Reconstruction of West side of stadium |
2013-15 | 102,500 |
| Vanderbilt
(Vanderbilt Stadium) |
Renovation of North, East and West concourses
Addition of brick-and-iron fencing Addition of new entry plazas Added seating, football offices, locker rooms and luxury suites in North end zone Relocation of JumboTron |
2008-11 | 40,550 |
*In 2011 Auburn began planning for a future stadium expansion that would increase capacity to 100,000, but no plans have been finalized.
**Ole Miss approved plans for further expansion in 2011, including added seating in the North end zone, club suites, and new lights, sound system and video boards. The expansion would increase the stadium’s capacity to 64,038 by 2016.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
