Sports Construction
University of South Florida Fields New CM Team for $340M Stadium Project
Adjacent to the new stadium will be the the Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence, providing behavioral health services, treatment, therapies, career mentoring and more.
Rendering courtesy University of South Florida
The University of South Florida has selected the team of Manhattan Construction Co., H.J. Russell & Co. and DuCon, LLC as construction manager for the school’s new football stadium at its Tampa campus.
The move puts the estimated $340-million on-campus facility back on track after the university changed course last December on its project delivery approach, terminating a year-long deal with a Barton Malow-led design-build team that aimed to have the stadium ready by 2026—a target deemed unfeasible due to "significant global supply chain issues,” according to a Barton Malow statement.
With Populous Architects—a subcontractor on the original design-build team that is staying on as the stadium’s lead designer—USF said in December that pivoting to a construction manager approach would provide the university with “more direct access to all design elements…and more control over cost efficiencies.” It also would provide schedule flexibility to ensure the new stadium and its support services are fully operational in time for the 2027 college football season.
Based in Tulsa, Okla., Manhattan Construction Co. is currently ranked 70th among ENR’s Top 400 Contractors. H.J. Russell & Co. is based in Atlanta, while DuCon LLC is located in Sarasota, Fla.
Austin Commercial L.P. and M.A. Mortenson Company also submitted bids for the project.
“Choosing a construction management team is a big step forward in our process to deliver a world-class stadium that will transform the future of our university and the on-campus experience,” said USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly and USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman, the co-chairs of the stadium planning committee.
To be located on the university’s Sycamore Fields intramural sports area, the stadium currently is envisioned as a 615,000-sq-ft, 35,000-seat facility that will be home to both the USF football and women’s lacrosse teams, and host concerts, graduation ceremonies and other events. According to USF, the stadium’s east-west orientation will help maximize shade for daytime events, with an open concourse that will provide views of the field. Suites, loge boxes and club seating areas will be available, while students will occupy a dedicated section in the west end zone. A large tailgating space on the north side of the stadium is also planned.
A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the stadium is scheduled for the school’s homecoming week in October.
Adjacent to the stadium, USF is building the Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Center for Athletic Excellence, a new operations center that will provide locker rooms, sports medicine and treatment spaces, strength and conditioning rooms, coaches’ offices, training rooms, nutrition spaces and hydrotherapy pools. Currently scheduled for completion in August 2026, the facility will also include clinical space where TGH will provide a variety of behavioral health services to support the needs of both the USF community and the broader Tampa Bay region, according to the school.
