USC in 2026: Football stadium renovations, enrollment growth, leadership changes By Alexa Jurado December 11, 2025 5:00 AM From a major stadium overhaul already underway to another record number of applications, the University of South Carolina is gearing up for another year of growth and change in Columbia. Here three major things to look out for in 2026 plus a few other notable highlights, Campus development Construction at Williams-Brice Stadium has begun. It is the start of a multi-year project that will transform the 80,000-seat arena. The suite count will balloon from 18 to 42, increase the premium space, widen the concourses, increase the number of bathrooms and provide an air-conditioned space for students attendees. Other improvements include two new video boards in the south end zone. T Changes will mean fewer seats at the stadium, though it will still be able to safely welcome more than 70,000 fans. And with more suites, the Gamecocks are expected to make more revenue. While the entirety of the renovations won’t be completed until 2027, work will be paused to accommodate the 2026 football season. That’s not all. The McKissick Museum was closed Dec. 5, and 2026 renovations will make way for more classroom space in the building. The Booker T. Washington Auditorium — which was part of Columbia’s highly-regarded Black high school until USC bought the property in the 1970s — will also be renovated. Thomas Cooper Library will also experience a facelift next year. Progress will be made on other projects, though they won’t likely be completed. USC will demolish McBryde Hall in the spring of 2026, a decades-old longtime residence hall on Blossom Street to make way for a new development set to house some 1,000 students by 2028. Work on the university’s new medical school in Columbia’s BullStreet district, which broke ground in early 2025, will continue. It is slated to open in 2027. Board leadership The General Assembly will appoint or reappoint candidates to at least four open seats on the USC board of trustees. The screening and qualification process is already underway, according to the College and University Trustee Screening Commission. Two vacant seats, for the 4th and 15th judicial circuits, have been vacant. Those terms expired in Jun 2024. Two other seats, for the 2nd and 12th judicial circuits, will also be screened for. Governor Henry McMaster appointed J. Strom Thurmond, Jr. to the vacant 2nd judicial circuit seat in September 2025. He appointed Coleman Floyd Buckhouse to the 12th judicial circuit seat in October 2024, replacing her father Eddie Floyd, who had served on the board since 1982. Terms for those seats expire in June 2028 and Jun 2026, respectively. The board will also vote on a board chair and vice chair in 2026, which are expected to be contested races. Thad Westbrook was voted in as the board’s chair in 2022, and Rose Buyck Newton was voted in as the board vice chair. Those terms expire in August. Enrollment growth If trends continue as they have, USC will likely have another banner year for enrollment in 2026. USC’s student body surpassed 40,000 for the first time in the school’s history and welcomed a record-breaking freshman class of more than 7,800 in the fall of 2025. It was the fourth year of unparalleled growth for the university, which has ballooned by almost 7,000 students since 2015, according to the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Analytics. The university already received a record number of applications once again, spokesman Jeff Stensland confirmed, though number aren’t official yet. It will be USC’s fourth year in row to do so. Last admissions cycle, USC received more than 60,000 applications. Scott Verzyl, USC’s vice president for enrollment, previously told The State that almost every year has been a “record year” for applications since he began his job two decades ago. When he started, the school received around 10,000 applications per year. Other highlights USC will switch its athletic apparel provider from Under Armour to Nike beginning in July 2026. Nike will provide the Gamecocks’ athletics programs with uniforms, footwear, apparel and equipment, and fans will be able to purchase officially-licensed merchandise from the company. A Tesla 7 scanner, powerful MRI tool used for advanced neurological research and care, is being installed at USC’s Brain Health Center. It will be the first available in South Carolina when the center opens in spring 2026. The university will also celebrate its 225th birthday.
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