The University of South Carolina (USC) Board of Trustees gave its approval to the next step of the Williams-Brice Stadium renovation project in Columbia, university officials announced May 22, 2025.
As a result, the football stadium is set to receive a second facelift, although it has yet to get its first, the Charleston Post and Courier noted.
The school's trustees approved a bond resolution for Phase II renovations to the Gamecocks' home field, which encompasses the Phase I renovations of the westside stands that was unveiled in November 2024.
University officials said the project is set to cost just under $350 million and will include sweeping changes to the stadium, including:
• maximizing the west stand's premium spaces for club sections and luxury boxes;
• enhancing the student section with a club indoor space under the north stands, while adding two videoboards flanking the south stands;
• solving operational inefficiency by relocating the visiting team's locker room and adding better access to the field by creating a loading dock for events such as concerts;
• building more bathrooms stadium wide, modifying its concession stands and conducting a general cleanup of the concourses; and
• enhancing the locker room and training rooms as part of an improvement to all space for the football program.
"Our fans deserve a great experience when they attend football games and other special events at Williams-Brice Stadium," said USC Board of Trustees Chair Thad Westbrook. "These renovations are an important step in our long-term efforts to give fans an experience that is second to none and grow athletics revenue that supports our football program during this new era of college athletics."
Top Contractors Hired for Stadium Upgrades
In February 2025, Populous, an internationally acclaimed stadium design firm based in Kansas City, Mo., was selected to lead the reimagining process of Williams-Brice Stadium. The company has worked closely with USC and its athletics department staff to chart the course for the stadium improvements, according to a news release on the school's website.
In May 2025, USC joined forces with Legends, a global premium experiences company, to enhance the fan experience at Gamecock sporting events and to maximize USC Athletics' revenue generation through a streamlined, data-driven sales approach.
The school also has chosen Contract Construction in Irmo, S.C.; and Tulsa, Okla.-based Manhattan Construction Co. as the contractors for the reimagination of Williams-Brice Stadium.
Contract Construction has been involved in many USC projects in the past, the school said, including earlier upgrades to the stadium in 2020, as well as the construction of Founders Park, the Long Family Football Operations Center, Springs Brooks Plaza and the Campus Village Student Housing Complex.
A specialist in developing major sports facility projects, Manhattan Construction has built, among others, Globe Life Field, home to baseball's Texas Rangers; the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Arlington, along with the NFL team's headquarters in nearby Frisco; the redevelopment of Kyle Field, the Texas A&M University football stadium; and the renovations to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
"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. "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 December]," he said. "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."
The next step in the approval process will come in August 2025, when USC officials are scheduled to appear before the State of South Carolina Legislature's Joint Bond Review Committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.
