TAMPA, FL (WFLA) — Leaders at the University of South Florida announced Tuesday the design and build team reccommended to hire for an on-campus stadium project.

Barton Malow and Populous will collaborate on the project expected to be completed by 2026.

USF Vice President of Athletics, Michael Kelly, said both companies have an extensive background in sports projects.

According to the University’s announcement, the firms have collaborated for more than 25 years on 40 sport venues across the country, including Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, Orlando City Soccer Club’s Exploria Stadium, the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park, and many more.

“The selected partner will play a critical role in helping us develop a more complete understanding of the scope of the project, including many of the details and design features that we know Bulls fans eagerly anticipate,” Kelly said.

“This is going to be one that will be ran and designed for the University of South Florida, so it’s a huge step forward, we’ve obviously never gone this far as a university in this process,” Kelly said.

Between the two, Barton Malow/Populous have worked on 85 college stadiums. A list of their stadium projects was made available at the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday:

Barton Malow

  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Penn State University Beaver Stadium
  • University of Michigan ”The Big House”
  • The Rose Bowl Stadium

Populous

  • Penn State University Beaver Stadium
  • Baylor University McLane Stadium
  • Colorado State University Canvas Stadium
  • University of Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium

After a meeting with the Board of Trustees, university leaders will work to finalize negotiations and return for approval next month.

“We continue to make significant progress toward turning the vision for an on-campus stadium into a reality,” USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman said. “The important planning that we’re doing now is going to result in a transformational project that the University of South Florida community and the entire Tampa Bay region will benefit from for generations to come.”