‘The time is not now’ – Huskers put stadium renovation plans on hold, citing financial ‘trauma ahead’

At a briefing with reporters Friday morning, University of Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen announced he won’t be submitting renovation plans to the Board of Regents anytime soon.

“There’s going to be a lot of trauma ahead,” Dannen said. “We’re not going to take anything to the Board for their approval. And I don’t know when we will, but the time is not now.”

In September 2023, former AD Trev Alberts announced the $450 million expansion proposal, which sought to enhance restrooms and concession areas and upgrade seating in the West, East and South stadiums. In the 2023 announcement, Alberts hoped construction would happen during the 2025 season, and the finished renovation would debut ahead of the 2026 season.

“We have a 100-year-old stadium that we need to ensure is viable for another 100 years,” then-AD Alberts said.

However, major financial issues lie ahead for the University of Nebraska system.

Federal funding cuts and pauses earlier this year by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) hampered some NU research projects and some faculty positions. At the state level, the University of Nebraska system saw a smaller-than-expected appropriation from the Nebraska Legislature. In its budget proposal for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years, university leaders requested a 3.5% annual increase in its appropriation. State senators approved only a 0.0625% annual increase.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced this month that the institution must cut $27.5 million from its expenses this year. In an email to staff, he said he’s initiating a formal budget reduction process, including convening the Academic Planning Committee.

The chancellor hinted that the university may review academic programs for “potential elimination or mergers. In the same letter, Bennett said the university will likely institute a “voluntary separation program.” That plan came to fruition Friday, when University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeffrey Gold announced plans to offer voluntary buyouts to some faculty members.

Other changes to UNL include a 5% tuition hike for students this fall semester, which marks the third straight year of tuition increases. Bennett said UNL employees would also not receive their annual raises this summer due to “system-wide fiscal challenges.”

Dannen said the pile of University financial issues led him to put stadium plans on the back burner until the time is right. He pointed to the new opportunity the Huskers have to pay players directly, following an NCAA settlement in June that could reshape the pay-to-play operation at big colleges.

Dannen said the university will pay the $20.5 million permitted by the settlement this year to UNL athletes. The entire pool of cash will go to the football team, the volleyball team and both men’s and women’s basketball teams. He said general managers of those teams will handle how to divy up the payouts, saying almost every student-athlete has an agent now that helps negotiate payments and name, image, likeness (NIL) projects between the player and the university.

The AD said his department didn’t fill 20 open staff positions and “eliminated seven active positions” to drum up some money for the $20.5 million, as well as reducing some operating expenses.

The university will need to eye new, varying revenue streams to help keep up with university financial shortfalls and ballooning player pay, according to Dannen. He highlighted several revenue streams that could provide a financial boost to the department. He hopes newly approved alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium will bring in more money, and one day, the historic stadium can be rented out for events.

“I know everybody’s tired of hearing about it, but we have to generate revenue outside of raising ticket prices,” Dannen said. “And one of the ways to do it [is] capitalize on the venues.”

The AD pointed to the Bob Devaney Sports Center, which is inching closer to being able to seat 10,000 people; Pinnacle Bank Arena, which can seat 16,000; and then Memorial Stadium. Dannen said the days are over where the university can rely on revenue just from home games.