• 🏈 Hearing: Change in Phase 2 stadium plans

• 🔒🏀 KU’s new asst coach = major recruiting boost?

• 📝 Quick Links: New favorite look at The Booth

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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.

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Hearing: Stadium Plan Shift

The News: South End Zone Stays Open

I’m Hearing KU has made its first significant shift to the stadium experience since the plan went public: Phase 2 will not close the south end zone (the Hill side).

Instead, KU will install an aluminum seating structure — far different from the current Touchdown Club — to add capacity while keeping its long-term options open.

And this isn’t temporary. KU's treating it as permanent for now, with no timeline for any future changes.

This pivot comes down to calculated tradeoffs: KU’s betting big on making the East Side as nice as the West. The south end zone can wait — maybe indefinitely.

Why the Change?

What I’m Hearing on why KU opted out of closing the south end zone:

• Prioritizing the East Side: KU decided the East side of the stadium should be made as nice as possible instead of splitting Phase 2 dollars between the East and South. I believe KU wanted the East side to match the standard set by the West side.

  • The current plans include the possibility of adding club-level seating to the East side. I believe the amount of premium seats are still being determined.

• Future Flexibility: This is being treated as a 100-year project. KU needs to be 100% sure of any decisions its making here. If KU’s leadership wasn’t certain, it can watch and learn from the West, North and East sides before making more changes.

  • Realistically: Wanting flexibility with no clear timeline for the next move leaves this thing wide open. While I believe KU is working through future options, there’s also no guarantee the south end zone changes beyond Phase 2.

• Still Something New: The change will take effect after this season, with the rest of the East Side. There will still be a premium “Jayhawk Landing” this year.

  • This should have much more capacity than the old Touchdown Club.

  • I’m Hearing KU is weighing options like making it a family zone, or placing student seats in the section.

• Show Me the Demand: Premium seating sold out fast, but regular season ticket sales were less impressive. KU’s opener still has a few tickets left as of Wednesday morning (tickets here).

  • KU wants to see how demand plays out — while keeping its options open to add capacity if things go well.

    • This matters beyond game day. Capacity and attendance are factors in conference realignment, which will heat up again in the next 3–6 years. The timing here isn’t random.

• Explored Alternatives: KU looked at incorporating the Hill into the stadium design (think terracing or amphitheater-style seating). But Sources suggested the surrounding area wasn’t steep enough, making the concept unreasonably expensive. I think it got shut down pretty quick.

  • KU also wants to consider the long-term possibility of further expansion of the Anderson Family Football Complex. I don’t believe any Anderson expansion is happening anytime soon, but college football facilities aren’t exactly shrinking these days.

Bottom Line

The current Phase 2 seating installation will give KU capacity to help now while keeping its options open for the future.

It’s totally understandable if you’re bummed after long-standing renderings showed a more-enclosed stadium. But I also understand KU having to make a hard decision after weighing the tradeoffs.

KU is making the call it feels gives it the best chance to get this right, not just get it done.

VIP🔒 Why KU’s New Asst. Hoops Coach Has Major Recruiting Impacts

KU is expected to hire longtime college hoops assistant Tony Bland away from Washington, according to multiple reports (and confirming VIP Hearings from last week). Here’s what you need to know:

• Bland coached at San Diego St. and USC before joining Washington's staff in '24.

  • He was implicated in the 2017 FBI probe on college hoops and plead guilty to accepting a $4,100 bribe. He was sentenced to probation and was hit with a three-year show case. He returned to college hoops last year.

In what can’t be a coincidence, 2026 top 10 prospect Tahj Ariza (son of Trevor Ariza) just scheduled an official visit to KU in September (via Eric Bossi). Bland was Ariza's high school coach for two years.

• There are two other 5-star prospects (one a top 5 player) for 2026 that I’m now watching closely after the Bland hire. These two are more speculative.

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🏈 The drone video of the new stadium and facilities is an incredible view (and shot) of The New Booth. It might be my favorite look at the changes coming for KU fans and players. (X link here)

🏈 Kevin Flaherty shared a look from the top rows on the renovated sides of the stadium. KU did a great job if these are the highest seats in the house.