Students gathered outside the Marshall Student Center to sign a beam that will be used to build USF’s on-campus stadium, which is set to open by fall 2027. ORACLE PHOTO / VIOLET VASQUEZ PIMENTEL

 Students shuffled in line behind the north entrance of the Marshall Student Center on Tuesday, braving the unseasonably chilly April temperatures and sporadic rainfall. 

But it wasn’t free food or a celebrity appearance they were waiting for. It was the chance to sign a 10,000-pound steel beam that will be used to construct USF’s on-campus stadium. 

USF’s on-campus stadium, which is being constructed on the former Sycamore Fields, is slated to open by fall 2027. It will be home to the football and women’s lacrosse teams. 

The $348.5-million stadium will have a capacity of around 35,000 and will feature an open-air concourse, an east-west design to maximize shade and a designated tailgating space. 

The stadium construction may be conducted behind chain-link fences and security checkpoints for now. But during this year’s USF Week, students gained an opportunity to leave their mark on one of the most anticipated developments in university history. 

The 43-foot beam will be placed within the student section, an 8,000-seat wing sloping above the stadium’s west endzone. 

USF staff handed out green and gold Sharpies as students scribbled their names and graduation years on the beam. 

Aiden Poff, a senior mass communications major, signed the beam on Tuesday and said he’s looking forward to the opening of the new stadium. 

“I’m extremely excited,” Poff said. “The only thing that strikes my mind is parking, but I’m sure they will handle that.”

USF has not outlined any additional parking with the construction of the new stadium. Event day operations are currently in the “planning stages,” according to USF’s website.  

Students signed a 43-foot, 10,000-pound steel beam that will be placed in the on-campus stadium’s student section. ORACLE PHOTO / VIOLET VASQUEZ PIMENTEL

Poff, who grew up around Tampa, grew up attending USF football games at Raymond James Stadium. He said he’s excited about the possibility of bringing his family to the campus stadium for years to come. 

“I think it’s just cool we’re getting a new football stadium,” Poff said, “I’ll be able to say down the line, ‘I was here, look, there’s my name’.” 

Related: USF approves $407 million price tag for stadium, related infrastructure

The beam signing was slated to begin at 6 p.m. Monday, but was delayed until the following morning due to heavy rain and lightning. 

Still, hundreds of students gathered at the MSC Atrium to kick off the beam signing. 

USF President Moez Limayem, head football coach Brian Hartline, Athletics CEO Rob Higgins and Student Body President Sumit Jadhav commenced the event. 

Limayem said students were “making history” by autographing a beam that will be permanently installed in the student section. 

“You’re gonna see that beautiful stadium, then come back with your kids and family and tell everybody, ‘You know what, my signature is right there,’” Limayem said. 

Higgins, who graduated from USF in 2001, was a student when the football team was in its fledgling years in the late 1990s. He said he never imagined USF football would play on its home campus. 

“To now have our 50,000 students attend a home of their own when it comes to the USF football program, it’s truly incredible and something that’s been building for several years,” Higgins said. 

Related: USF breaks ground on campus stadium: ‘Championships will be won here’

USF football has played all but one of its seasons at Raymond James Stadium since it opened in 1998. But the on-campus stadium is a project a decade in the making. 

Former USF President Judy Genshaft first tapped The Beck Group, a Dallas-based construction company, to draw a concept plan for a stadium in 2016. 

In 2021, USF Board of Trustees Chairman Will Weatherford publicly promised the development of an on-campus stadium. 

The Florida Board of Governors approved the university taking on $200 million in debt to finance development in September 2023. 

Seven months later, USF selected Manhattan Construction Company, H.J. Russell & Company and DuCon, LLC as the stadium’s construction firms. 

Despite a brief hurricane delay, USF broke ground on the stadium during a ceremony in November 2024. 

Fans and alumni who have not yet signed the beam will have the chance to do so during football’s spring game, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. on April 19 at Corbett Stadium.

Higgins said he was impressed by the student body’s turnout on Monday and how invested they are in the future of USF’s football program.

“That’s being a part of the history of our program and our school,” he said. “I think it speaks volumes right now just when it comes to the student body and athletics.”