Memorial stadium Transformation - Huskers

[nebugeater]

The new plan is out and set to go before the BOR on April 24

https://huskers.com/news/2026/4/17/univ ... al-stadium

The renderings are in the UNL release

[skinzfan23]

Here are the renderings:

[nebugeater]

Set to start after the 2026 season if approved and be completed before the 2028 season. Press releases says 80,000

The redesigned stadium will offer improved access, seat comfort, enhanced sightlines, and upgraded amenities throughout the entire stadium. A newly connected East and West bowl that allows 360 degrees on the main concourse will make it easier than ever to move throughout the stadium, an important priority for Nebraska fans. Seating 80,000 fans after full completion in time for the 2028 season, the plan includes an additional 20,000 new chairback seats to elevate comfort, and 7,000 seats dedicated to Nebraska students and band members. Nebraska’s students are a very important part of the game-day experience at Memorial Stadium, and the noise and excitement associated with the newly relocated student section will help create a strong competitive advantage for Nebraska Football. Expanded concessions and restrooms will reduce wait times, while improved ADA accessibility will ensure that every fan can be part of the game-day experience.

[nebugeater]

Here are the renderings:

Thanks

Hadn't got to that yet and now I don't need to!

[nebugeater]

The new budget is $600 million. Need to go back and check, but from memory, the previous was just over 400 million. In the end, it will not be a surprise, it is closer to 800

[almighty_tuna]

Wow that is certainly not what I expected to see. Should be cheaper for UNL with 80k seats since they won't have to float all the comp tickets to keep the sellout streak, lol

[djc311]

Wow that is certainly not what I expected to see. Should be cheaper for UNL with 80k seats since they won't have to float all the comp tickets to keep the sellout streak, lol

I was looking for how the new upper levels are accessible for fans. I can't see where they drew anything in for stairwells, ramps, etc. Guess you just climb up with a ladder?

[Garrett]

Wow that is certainly not what I expected to see. Should be cheaper for UNL with 80k seats since they won't have to float all the comp tickets to keep the sellout streak, lol

I was looking for how the new upper levels are accessible for fans. I can't see where they drew anything in for stairwells, ramps, etc. Guess you just climb up with a ladder?

Parachute in during the flyover

[Early Involvement]

She's back........

[GenX]

She's back........

This is great, but I wish they’d enclose that upper seating framework so it matches the east and west sides.

[nebugeater]

She's back........

This is great, but I wish they’d enclose that upper seating framework so it matches the east and west sides.

donate a couple hundred million and I bet they consider it! ;)

[buildomaha]

Thoughts on the renderings released?

[GenX]

She's back........

This is great, but I wish they’d enclose that upper seating framework so it matches the east and west sides.

donate a couple hundred million and I bet they consider it! ;)

Ha!!

[Brad]

This is great, but I wish they’d enclose that upper seating framework so it matches the east and west sides.

I think you need to go look at the stadium again. All 4 sides are different. North and West look mostly similar but you can see under the stands on the two ends of the north stadium. East stadium has a lot more brick and you can see under the stans on the top level.

[GenX]

This is great, but I wish they’d enclose that upper seating framework so it matches the east and west sides.

I think you need to go look at the stadium again. All 4 sides are different. North and West look mostly similar but you can see under the stands on the two ends of the north stadium. East stadium has a lot more brick and you can see under the stans on the top level.

I suppose you’re right, thanks for pointing out what I missed. I’m used to seeing the west side and assumed the east side was the same.

[Erik]

Thoughts on the renderings released?

The program doesn't care about the product. Im almost completely apathetic to anything they do now.

[omahahawk]

Has anybody heard anywhere if any of these updates would allow for the ability to put on concerts easier and have more of them?

[Greg S]

Has anybody heard anywhere if any of these updates would allow for the ability to put on concerts easier and have more of them?

I imagine that is part of the core design. When they backtracked on switching to natural grass I figured the concerts/events contributed to that.

[GrowUpFrances]

Thoughts on the renderings released?

The program doesn't care about the product. Im almost completely apathetic to anything they do now.

This. $600M? For a mediocre (at best, from what's been revealed) stadium upgrade/downgrade in capacity? All for a program that continues to underperform? I don't get it.

[Brad]

Why does everyone get all bent out of shape about the reduced capacity (not just on this forum, but everywhere). Stadiums everywhere are reducing the capacity.

[djc311]

Why does everyone get all bent out of shape about the reduced capacity (not just on this forum, but everywhere). Stadiums everywhere are reducing the capacity.

It doesn't bother me now - it would have during their prime in the mid-late 90's... but it's strategic. They struggle to sell out today. It's an ongoing joke that they continue the sellout streak. I don't know the logistics behind it, but they're not selling out under normal/high demand conditions like they once did.

They need to reduce capacity to keep the stadium full - also, they (I think) are finally realizing how terrible of an experience it is to sit in most parts of the stadium. Getting to and from seats stinks, going to the RR during the game is terrible. And of course sitting on a 2x6 board sucks, too.

If I were one of the 80 year old donors who is losing their "legacy seating", I'd probably be upset, too. However, if they want to keep people coming to the games from younger generations, they need to make changes. I went to one game last year which was Michigan. Took over an hour standing in line to get into the stadium, which had never been a problem for me in the past. Also, it was the first season they were able to sell alcohol and it was a disaster. I simply decided I won't go back until I hear it's a better-handled experience. Until then, I'll continue to park my butt on the couch and watch us lose from home in a much more comfortable environment.

[OverlookedFarm]

The question is.... how long until the powermakers within NU call it by it's name and say the quiet part out loud.

Who are they fooling? Only the hardcore supporter as far as I can tell. Can those hardcores pay all the bills and more when asked to jump and how high?

They aren't fooling anybody outside of the state, any casual fans or potential new markets.

Success fixes everything. However due to the nature of "college" sports today, there will be no success.

I may have underestimated the power of the Lincoln echo chamber all these decades.

[remline]

Any chance we could use the $600 million to pay some top players to come to Nebraska?

[nebugeater]

Any chance we could use the $600 million to pay some top players to come to Nebraska?

Nope

Different buckets

[Linkin5]

Why does everyone get all bent out of shape about the reduced capacity (not just on this forum, but everywhere). Stadiums everywhere are reducing the capacity.

I can only speak for myself but less seats will drive up the cost of season/secondary market tickets. I know Dannen has said that lower end tickets will either be the same or cheaper than now but I am skeptical.

With that said, I completely understand why Nebraska would make this decision as the demand is not what it once was. Even though all tickets are sold (and “sold” is a dubious term for some games/recent years) the gate numbers tell a different story and they’re hoping comfort can lure in people.

[Greg S]

Why does everyone get all bent out of shape about the reduced capacity (not just on this forum, but everywhere). Stadiums everywhere are reducing the capacity.

I can only speak for myself but less seats will drive up the cost of season/secondary market tickets. I know Dannen has said that lower end tickets will either be the same or cheaper than now but I am skeptical.

With that said, I completely understand why Nebraska would make this decision as the demand is not what it once was. Even though all tickets are sold (and “sold” is a dubious term for some games/recent years) the gate numbers tell a different story and they’re hoping comfort can lure in people.

I'm actually good for the new capacity under Dannen. It's more than 10k above what would have happened under Trev's renovation plan. Remember for years there have been season tickets available that you can get without having to donate. Then as the season approaches the university starts advertising single game tickets, and 3 game ticket special plans. Along with the tickets that the donors buy and donate to the Red Carpet Experience.

There's significant excess capacity. I think this gets us closer to where they demand meets the capacity. I've had season tix in the South endzone since the early 90's. The prices throughout that time (and I was there for the glory years) never really went up. Started in row 93 and now I'm in 38 (haven't tried to move in 15 years as I found my sweet spot).

Unsportsmanlike Conduct was going over tickets scanned for last season and thinks 80k is still significantly too big. I don't agree with them, but am on board with the reduction. I don't see this small of a drop leading to big increases.

With beer in the stadium and the additional amenities, they want the stadium full so people are there buying food and beverages. I think NU finished in the top 3 nationally in beer sales. That led to millions more without having to raise the price of admission. That's the direction we are headed for.

[nebugeater]

As I understand it part of the capacity reduction has to do with a widening of seat width in many areas with this redo. I will have to search later, but remember reading that a couple of places as this was announced

[Greg S]

As I understand it part of the capacity reduction has to do with a widening of seat width in many areas with this redo. I will have to search later, but remember reading that a couple of places as this was announced

Yeah that is the exact reason for the reduction. Seat backs along with leg room being expanded.

[omaha79]

The question is.... how long until the powermakers within NU call it by it's name and say the quiet part out loud.

Who are they fooling? Only the hardcore supporter as far as I can tell. Can those hardcores pay all the bills and more when asked to jump and how high?

They aren't fooling anybody outside of the state, any casual fans or potential new markets.

Success fixes everything. However due to the nature of "college" sports today, there will be no success.

I may have underestimated the power of the Lincoln echo chamber all these decades.

Considering the product on the field has equated to Nebraska being one of the worst Power conference football programs of the last decade, it's a wonder they sell as many tickets as they do. It's truly a testament to the lack of anything else worthwhile to do in this state that farmers from Holdrege and Chadron continue to make the trek to Memorial Stadium to watch this drivel year in and year out, but what else are you going to do to fill your time?

Alcoholic oblivion? watching corn grow? watching the sweat stains on your shirt grow with the humidity? Driving around? watching animals mate?

Nebraska: it's not for everyone

[djc311]

The question is.... how long until the powermakers within NU call it by it's name and say the quiet part out loud.

Who are they fooling? Only the hardcore supporter as far as I can tell. Can those hardcores pay all the bills and more when asked to jump and how high?

They aren't fooling anybody outside of the state, any casual fans or potential new markets.

Success fixes everything. However due to the nature of "college" sports today, there will be no success.

I may have underestimated the power of the Lincoln echo chamber all these decades.

Considering the product on the field has equated to Nebraska being one of the worst Power conference football programs of the last decade, it's a wonder they sell as many tickets as they do. It's truly a testament to the lack of anything else worthwhile to do in this state that farmers from Holdrege and Chadron continue to make the trek to Memorial Stadium to watch this drivel year in and year out, but what else are you going to do to fill your time?

Alcoholic oblivion? watching corn grow? watching the sweat stains on your shirt grow with the humidity? Driving around? watching animals mate?

Nebraska: it's not for everyone

LOL - I agree. Many diehard fans argue that once a Husker, always a Husker and to an extent, I feel there's some truth to that. I AM a Husker fan. However, I'm not a big enough fan that I'll fork out hundreds of dollars each weekend to watch them continuously lose every meaningful game that they play because they can't get their sh!t together. I do wonder if they will ever even approach the ability to play for a conference title again in my lifetime.

They're probably better off trying to figure out ways to generate additional revenue from the stadium (ie, other sporting events or concerts) in the long run. Maybe the remodel will help with that.

[Greg S]

The question is.... how long until the powermakers within NU call it by it's name and say the quiet part out loud.

Who are they fooling? Only the hardcore supporter as far as I can tell. Can those hardcores pay all the bills and more when asked to jump and how high?

They aren't fooling anybody outside of the state, any casual fans or potential new markets.

Success fixes everything. However due to the nature of "college" sports today, there will be no success.

I may have underestimated the power of the Lincoln echo chamber all these decades.

Considering the product on the field has equated to Nebraska being one of the worst Power conference football programs of the last decade, it's a wonder they sell as many tickets as they do. It's truly a testament to the lack of anything else worthwhile to do in this state that farmers from Holdrege and Chadron continue to make the trek to Memorial Stadium to watch this drivel year in and year out, but what else are you going to do to fill your time?

Alcoholic oblivion? watching corn grow? watching the sweat stains on your shirt grow with the humidity? Driving around? watching animals mate?

Nebraska: it's not for everyone

LOL - I agree. Many diehard fans argue that once a Husker, always a Husker and to an extent, I feel there's some truth to that. I AM a Husker fan. However, I'm not a big enough fan that I'll fork out hundreds of dollars each weekend to watch them continuously lose every meaningful game that they play because they can't get their sh!t together. I do wonder if they will ever even approach the ability to play for a conference title again in my lifetime.

They're probably better off trying to figure out ways to generate additional revenue from the stadium (ie, other sporting events or concerts) in the long run. Maybe the remodel will help with that.

Yeah the remodel/update/upgrade is definitely being done to accommodate more non football events. As we have seen though, Husker football despite not winning much lately still generates millions and millions for the athletic department, university, the city of Lincoln and the state.

[thenewguy]

jesus christ the dissension is crazy around the huskers.

Do i feel like they need to change the stadium? I don't know. Personally, I don't share the same gripes as others about the stadium, nor do i feel like the program itself is a steaming pile of garbage like so many others do. Sometimes it feels like it is en vogue to |expletive| on the team rather than look at it for what it is.

The honest truth is that there are a lot of good programs, but few can be considered 'elite' year in and year out. Yeah, we used to be elite. It felt good, and we miss that. But they didn't think Solich was good enough, so we went with Callahan. But under Callahan, we sucked. He could recruit, but struggled to develop players. Then Pelini came, and we were good again for 7 straight years. Even played for the big 12 title. Then Shawn Eichorst ditched him and we then got Mike Reilly, and we were |expletive| again. Then Scott Frost, who didn't take it serious at all, seemed like a slam dunk hire at first but upset it all away. Brings us to where we are now: Matt Rhule. He isn't a top coach in terms of wins, but he's a great leader of men and has built nebraska into a solid program. In the last few years, we went from being a 'guaranteed to lose' program to being able to be competitive with most teams we play. heck, even under coach osborne, there were people that wondered if he needed to go because he 'couldn't win the big game and it ended up working out alright. I want to win it all again, and while I understand we lost a lot of ground over the years, i think we are headed in the right direction.

[djc311]

jesus christ the dissension is crazy around the huskers.

Do i feel like they need to change the stadium? I don't know. Personally, I don't share the same gripes as others about the stadium, nor do i feel like the program itself is a steaming pile of garbage like so many others do. Sometimes it feels like it is en vogue to |expletive| on the team rather than look at it for what it is.

The honest truth is that there are a lot of good programs, but few can be considered 'elite' year in and year out. Yeah, we used to be elite. It felt good, and we miss that. But they didn't think Solich was good enough, so we went with Callahan. But under Callahan, we sucked. He could recruit, but struggled to develop players. Then Pelini came, and we were good again for 7 straight years. Even played for the big 12 title. Then Shawn Eichorst ditched him and we then got Mike Reilly, and we were |expletive| again. Then Scott Frost, who didn't take it serious at all, seemed like a slam dunk hire at first but upset it all away. Brings us to where we are now: Matt Rhule. He isn't a top coach in terms of wins, but he's a great leader of men and has built nebraska into a solid program. In the last few years, we went from being a 'guaranteed to lose' program to being able to be competitive with most teams we play. heck, even under coach osborne, there were people that wondered if he needed to go because he 'couldn't win the big game and it ended up working out alright. I want to win it all again, and while I understand we lost a lot of ground over the years, i think we are headed in the right direction.

I want to believe it - however, as a program that thrives off revenue by fans that want to see them win (or even play well), I think it's fair to be beyond frustrated with their performance over the past 2 decades.

I'm not a walking sports almanac, so I had to look up their last win against a ranked team. Not a number 1 team, a top 5 team, etc. A ranked team. They beat No 22 Oregon in 2016 (and that was at home). That's basically 20 years. Ironically, that same Oregon team went 4-8 that season, so their ranking was a fluke. A good team should be able to beat a top 25 team here and there, not every 20 years. Last time they beat a T25 team on the road was 2011. That's quite sad. To say they're playing at a great level, IMO, isn't true. Are they total garbage? No - but they're also nowhere near great... they made a couple of bowls in the past two seasons which is definitely a plus, so that is a turn in the right direction. With the NIL, it's hard to say what the long term outcome is going to be.

Yes, they were "close" to beating a couple of top 25 teams last year, but that's what seems to always happen... they get close without finishing the game with a "W".

I'd say this - yes, Tom Osborne took decades to win national titles... but coaches in today's game don't typically get 20 years+ to turn a program into that. Or, at least that's not what fans expect. You look at OSU, Indiana, etc... they're landing coaches that take these teams to this level in a few years' time. I don't think fans and those that contribute the cash are going to tolerate a 20 year goal to reach top performance.

[omaha79]

jesus christ the dissension is crazy around the huskers.

Do i feel like they need to change the stadium? I don't know. Personally, I don't share the same gripes as others about the stadium, nor do i feel like the program itself is a steaming pile of garbage like so many others do. Sometimes it feels like it is en vogue to |expletive| on the team rather than look at it for what it is.

The honest truth is that there are a lot of good programs, but few can be considered 'elite' year in and year out. Yeah, we used to be elite. It felt good, and we miss that. But they didn't think Solich was good enough, so we went with Callahan. But under Callahan, we sucked. He could recruit, but struggled to develop players. Then Pelini came, and we were good again for 7 straight years. Even played for the big 12 title. Then Shawn Eichorst ditched him and we then got Mike Reilly, and we were |expletive| again. Then Scott Frost, who didn't take it serious at all, seemed like a slam dunk hire at first but upset it all away. Brings us to where we are now: Matt Rhule. He isn't a top coach in terms of wins, but he's a great leader of men and has built nebraska into a solid program. In the last few years, we went from being a 'guaranteed to lose' program to being able to be competitive with most teams we play. heck, even under coach osborne, there were people that wondered if he needed to go because he 'couldn't win the big game and it ended up working out alright. I want to win it all again, and while I understand we lost a lot of ground over the years, i think we are headed in the right direction.

It would be a massive stretch to call the program "good". If you look at it for what it is, the last 10 years, they've been one of the worst power conference programs by most metrics, wins, winning seasons, wins over ranked teams, conference record. But, more power to those that feel just "being in the game at the end," is worth hundreds of dollars on tickets every weekend. I used to go to every game, but it's just a giant hassle and time suck at this point.

It used to be, you were spending $50-$100 a ticket to watch a top 10 program and would be in and out of there within a couple hours for non-TV games.

Now, it's often $100-$200 for an almost guaranteed loss when they aren't playing sun belt teams and you're there half a day because of all of the commercials and replays.

[remline]

Personally, I don't share the same gripes as others about the stadium, nor do i feel like the program itself is a steaming pile of garbage like so many others do.

What bothers me as of 2026 is that we spend money on football at elite levels, but our team is not elite. We have massive spending and a bad team.

Since I'm a broken man, I would be okay with any of the following scenarios:

• Huge spending, great team
• Average spending, mediocre team
• Low spending, poor team

But we've currently got huge spending and a poor team—not an acceptable combo!

[thenewguy]

to be fair I did not say Nebraska was GOOD right now, just that we went from being a guaranteed-to-lose team to a competitive team. We just still find a way to lose more than we should. Could be poor coaching at each position or poor head coach. If this season becomes a bust, we will know that it wasn't the position coaches we replaced. I know the NIL and transfer portal have become a crutch for a lot of programs, but it is a real hurdle that needs to be navigated. Fact is, I know winning breeds winning...but not as much as 'money talks and bullshit walks' does. Frankly, the money being spent on a stadium could go into buying the best O-line and D-line money can buy. We get a good QB to go with it, and we are talking about a whole different ball of wax.

[Linkin5]

Nebraska’s problem isn’t the amount they’re spending on the roster. They got smoked by Iowa and Minnesota last year and spend more than both for players. If they can begin to beat the teams they spend more than then we can talk about increasing NIL.

I’m not sure how you think they are becoming more competitive, they got blown out the last three games they played. Hopefully the new DC can fix that but we’ll see.

Finally, they can’t just take donated funds that are earmarked for a stadium project and shift them to NIL.

[nebugeater]

This says a lot

[djc311]

This says a lot

I don't know what's more disappointing... being second to last on the list or thinking about some of the teams that are ahead of us that I would normally believe have no shot.

I am a Husker fan and always want them to win. But I'm also realistic and expect them to lose... A LOT. Especially against anyone with substance. The program is nowhere the same as it was 20-25 years ago and it's unreasonable to expect them to be. At the same time, you look at teams on that list like Alabama, OSU, etc, they are proof that you can remain dominant for decades. Something just isn't right with Nebraska... whether it's the head coach, the assistant coaches, the players, the AD. Luckily for the Huskers, we don't have a professional team or even a second college football program to root for, so they continue to have a decent fan base.

Nebraska hasn't been relevant for years. As a fan, and as others have mentioned, I'll sit at home and watch them on TV until they start getting blown out and then I can turn to a better game. I don't think they'll ever get back to where they were - Rhule may get us to some additional bowl games and more wins, but we won't be a top 10 team (IMO).

[OmahaRedWing]

We seem to have gotten off track from the stadium discussion. The thing I would add to the recent comments is that in today's fast changing college world, it's near impossible to predict anything going forward. Indiana football is one, Nebraska basketball is another. No one saw either coming.

With the continued evolution of NIL and the portal, things can change and change in a hurry. The one thing Nebraska has and it's key, is money. They are one of the very few programs that's not in debt. I looked it up and as of 2023 UNL was the only big 10 program with no debt. I assume that will change for a time with the stadium renovation. In addition to being fiscally responsibly and having 3 teams that turn a profit, Nebraska is also in the richest conference. All good signs for the way college sports are evolving.