South Florida to Move to On-Campus Stadium in March 2027

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The South Florida Bulls, for the first time since they started playing football, will have a stadium to call their own come 2027. USF has played all of their games in either Tampa Stadium or Raymond James Stadium, the two homes of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dating back to their inaugural season in 1997.

The Bulls have had enjoyed moderate success as members of Conference USA, but it was during the Big East Conference era that USF was most successful. They were ranked as high as No. 2 in the BCS in 2007 before falling to No. 23. The Bulls ended that season with a 56-21 loss to Oregon in the Sun Bowl.

In April 2013, the Big East changed its name to the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and announced its 10 member schools, with USF among them. USF went just 2-10 in their first season in the AAC.

USF hasn't replicated the success from their Big East days—until last year.

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In 2023, USF hired coach Alex Golesh away from Tennessee where he was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. In his first season, the Bulls went 6-6 and appeared in the Boca Raton Bowl against Syracuse. The Bulls won the game 45-0, finishing the season with a winning record.

About South Florida's New Stadium

Adding to the success of the Bulls having a winning season under Golesh, USF will be building its own stadium on the main campus in Tampa, Fla. The stadium was originally rumored to be built on the grounds of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). The museum is located just across the street from the main campus.

However, USF opted to choose Sycamore Fields as the location for the new stadium. It will be a significantly smaller stadium than Raymond James Stadium, which can hold nearly 70,000 people. The field at Sycamore Fields is expected to to hold around 35,000 people. As mentioned in the video above, work on the stadium will begin later this year.

With the success of the football team, it is possible that 35,000 seats might not be enough for a school that enrolls more than 50,000 students, not to mention alumni, parents and general fans of the school. The stadium is expected to be completed in time for the 2027 football season.

New Stadium Excitement

The USF fanbase seem to be ecstatic about not only the success of Golesh, but getting him for a long time. USF hired him to a six-year deal that will pay him $2.5 million annually.

With Golesh expected to be there for another five years, expect USF to be rising in the AAC with many recruits having been swayed to Tampa. The new stadium is also a draw for recruits as very few schools don't have their own stadium.

At just 40-years-old, Golesh could build a dynasty at USF.