• 🏈 Exclusive: First look at Phase 2

• 🏈 KU lands two major transfer portal commits

• 📝🏈 Quick Links: KU hoops players having fun again

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

First Look: A New Phase 2 Rendering

I’ve obtained a Phase 2 seating-bowl rendering for the rebuilt David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium that hasn’t been publicly released.

Until now, fans were seeing a less-granular “concept” version of Phase 2: basically two plain tiers, a clean south end zone, and not much detail.

I’m Hearing a bigger announcement with more polished, updated renderings is coming soon. But this still reflects what KU is actually building, and it’s the clearest picture yet of Phase 2.

You can really start to fill in the blanks now.

NOTE: If you know someone who cares about the stadium, feel free to forward this email or send this link their way!

New capacity Hearings: 41,052

This is the first time I’ve Heard a specific number, and this lands firmly within the expected range. Memorial held 47,233 before the teardown. But KU is building for demand + revenue vs. a capacity number for optics.

I even wrote back in August that capacity was trending closer to ~40,000 (call it ~42,000, give or take). ✅

I’m Hearing any future expansion, if it the demand warrants it, would come via the south end zone.

The south end zone stays open (w/ some student seats + the band)

I reported in August that KU isn’t closing the bowl, like the initial concepts suggested. This new rendering backs that up.

KU isn’t wrapping The Booth into a full horseshoe. At least not yet.

And I’m Hearing a portion of KU student seats and the Kansas band will move into this section, away from their old spot right behind the visiting team’s bench.

And I do believe KU wants to close the bowl. It just needs to see things continue to go well here first.

Translation: KU chose to make the east side as impressive as the west now, rather than splitting Phase 2 money between the east build + full enclosure.

Trade-off: More premium seats today with flexibility later vs. full closure now.

The East Premium “mega suite” is real

The distinct section outlined in yellow on the east side around midfield is newer concept, and a big win for KU Athletics.

I’m hearing the plan here is for 700–750 premium seats in a larger, open “mega suite” club space — less like traditional boxed suites, more like an premium experience and social section.

Fewer walls, more movement, and more space is all where stadium design is currently trending. And KU leaned right in.

Why this matters

Premium inventory is where the money lives now, and KU already got proof of concept in Phase 1.

• Sports Business Journal reported KU already generated $187M in capital commitments from premium ticket (vs. early $127M projections).

• The west side’s premium inventory (~3,000 seats) essentially sold out.

  • Before the project, the old stadium had ~650 premium seats total.

If Phase 2 adds another ~750, The Booth lands around ~3,750 premium seats all-in, good for nearly 6x what existed before demolition.

That’s one of the big stories of this renovation: capacity down, premium experiences up, and revenue way up.

The subtle design refinements you can actually see

These are the kind of tweaks you get when a project is actually being engineered, not just marketed.

• The wheat stalks are shorter on the east side. Earlier concepts had them towering to match the west side. This version balances both sides better with improved proportions off different deck hights.

• The corners are tighter. You can see more “filled-in” seating at the NE/SE corners than the original concept implied. It’s still not a wraparound, but it appears more connected.

What I’m watching for next

This rendering is still a high-level view of Phase Two.

I’d expect KU to see something closer to the Phase I rendering release, with more views and details on what the premium seating section will look like, along with the south end zone, maybe some concourse concepts, and a better feel from the corners.

I expect some of these details to look slightly tweaked from the rendering I shared above.

And at some point in the future we’ll get a better look at the rest of the Gateway Project: The Plaza, hotel, entertainment district, and parking structure underneath.

All of these pieces add up to the year-round, campus-facing “front door” for the University.

Big picture

While there are material changes, this first real look shows we’re not getting a dramatic swerve from what KU projected early on.

• Capacity: Hearing 41,052

• South end zone: open

• (Portion of) students and band: seats moving to the south end zone.

• Premium east midfield: a major new inventory play

This is the stadium KU football is going to live in for the foreseeable future.

And Phase 2 is the moment where the “New Booth” becomes fully real.

Quick favors that help KUHearings

If this was useful, forward this email to one Jayhawk friend (that’s how this grows) or pass it along to your KU group texts by copy and pasting this link.

Got a Hearing? Send it to [email protected] or DM me.

Two Major Portal Commits

The Jayhawks picked up two big ones for its offense on Sunday.

Both players will compete for significant playing time and bring explosiveness to an efficient offense that struggled to create game-breaking plays.

1) RB Dylan Edwards, from Kansas State (!), 2 years remaining

• Former 4-star recruit out of Derby, KS — the No. 2 player in the state

  • Ranked as the No. 19 RB in On3's industry rankings

• 2024 at K-State: 546 rushing yds at 7.4 yds per carry, 7 total TDs

• 2025: Injured in Week 0, played only 4 games, redshirted

  • Rushed for 166 yds vs. UCF in KSU's 3rd game

  • The injury + transfer is controversial among KSU fans

• Watch this 75-yard TD run 👇

2) QB Chase Jenkins, from Rice, 2 years remaining

• QB starter for every game in 2025 after converting to WR in 2024

• 2025 stats: 69.2% completion rate, 1,025 passing yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs

  • Also a runner: 151 carries, 531 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs

• Became just the fifth QB in Rice history to throw for 1,000+ and rush for 500+ in the same season

• Enters a QB competition with Cole Ballard and Zeke Marshall

  • This pickup has Andy Kotelnicki written all over it.

Once again… Got a Hearing? Send it to [email protected] or DM me.

🏀 This is a great quick vid of Flory Bidguna and Darryn Peterson giving each other love and dapping up in KU’s postgame presser after Baylor

🏀 Check out KU 5-star commits Tay Kinney and Javon Bardwell connecting for the long-range alley-oop👇

🏀 Watch this 15 minute breakdown of Peterson versatile scoring show vs. Baylor 👇

❤️💙 If you’re able, please consider helping Robin Ward after the passing of her husband, longtime KU athletic advisor Scooter Ward.

You can read more and donate here.