USF is building a $340M on-campus football stadium despite concerns academics are being left behind

When the University of South Florida kicked off its first football season in 1997, the program's offices were headquartered in a glorified trailer on campus known as the “Ponderosa.” Back then, the Bulls played their games miles away in Tampa Stadium, affectionately called the “Sombrero” for its curved shape. Everything will change in 2026, when USF opens a $340 million, 35,000-seat stadium of its own on the eastern edge of the Tampa campus, university officials say.