The beauty and majestic view of Lake Michigan from Northwestern's temporary on-campus stadium it would be easy to forget that Ryan Field is undergoing a huge renovation.
This morning, the school released plans for the new Ryan Field, set to cost a college football record $850 million.
To put that in perspective, the recent renovations at Kyle Field for Texas A&M checked in at a cool $450 million.
While capacity is set to be 35,000, set to be the smallest in the Big Ten, Northwestern is hoping its design sets the stage for future stadium redesigns.
One thing being boasted about is the view for fans, which has fans much closer to the action.
"Our worst seat in this stadium is 100 feet closer to the field than the most expensive seat at The Big House," Pat Ryan Jr. shared in an article from ESPN, adding that was much more challenging from an engineering of the stadium perspective, but that the focus was creating "better-than-TV sightlines."
In addition to the focus on a better in-stadium fan experience, the footprint of Ryan Field is being expanded by over 125,000 square feet to allow for several club and plaza areas for entertainment and dining options.
Critics will look at the renderings and see they focus on everything but football, but if you've been following stadium redesigns at the NFL (as well as major league soccer) level they're following a similar model.
The new stadium is set to open in 2026.
See the designs, and a video highlighting the changes, below.
This video provides more details about the stadium project. pic.twitter.com/bZASQOo3KT
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 18, 2024