📸 Hearings as KU Reveals Phase 2 Renderings

• 🏀 Quick Self & Peterson Update

• 📸 New Phase 2 renderings for The Booth

• 🏈 Jayhawks football schedule released

• 📝 Quick Links: Self’s presser, Jacque’s postgame joke

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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.

Before getting into the renderings, a quick Bill Self and Darryn Peterson update after Self’s press conference on Thursday.

🏀 Bill Self said there’s no “impact at all moving forward” after AFib (an irregular heartbeat) kept him from joining the team in Boulder.

🏀 Self also said Peterson has a ‘pretty severe ankle sprain’ and they don’t know yet if he can play vs. Kansas State on Saturday.

There’s a link at the bottom of this email where you can watch his entire press conference.

Hearings: Breaking Down Phase 2 Renderings

The new Phase 2 renderings are out, and for the first time, fans are reacting to KU’s clear plan for finishing the stadium rebuild.

These are the most detailed images we’ve seen so far, and judging by early fan reaction, they’re also the most polarizing (the bar was set pretty damn high from Phase 1).

I’ve got a few Hearings to help us go beyond the images to better understand KU’s plan for Phase 2.

And yes, the south end zone is a significant change from the original plan. But the rest may not be as different as you think.

Here’s what stands out on first glance:

• Bench and premium seating dominate the east side
  Season ticket holders get benches with backs. Students remain on standard benches. Chairbacks stay concentrated on the west side, with the East Premium section as the exception.

• The south end zone remains open
  The bowl does not fully close, as expected. KU students and the band will fill in the bleacher-seating structure on the south end zone.

• Priority seating allocation is now clear
  This helps explain why it played such a central role in the design.

  • First priority: $100K+ pledge by Jan. 31

  • Second: Donors who gave $1M+ for Phase 1

  • Next: Annual Williams Fund giving, then lifetime giving

Hearings that aren’t obvious from the renderings:

• That opening at midfield isn’t premium seating
  The carved-out space behind the visitor bench is part of the new field-level concourse and bar. It’s open to anyone in attendance, which isn’t obvious from the images alone.

• The south end zone will probably get closed off (at some point)
  I keep Hearing that a full closure is still the long-term vision, but KU wants to prove sustained demand first. It should eventually happen.

• Bench seating built to change
  I’m also Hearing the lower bowl was designed so benches can be replaced with chairbacks later if KU decides the demand is there. For now, benches allow for increased stadium capacity, which sits just over 41,000.

• On moving the band and some students south

  The thinking is it should actually increase stadium noise. Sound will reflect from the north bowl back onto the field instead of escaping out the open end.
  Also, more programs (and conferences) are moving students away from the visitor benches.

• The east side isn’t shorter than planned
  Some fans have asked whether Phase 2 came in shorter than expected. I’m Hearing there’s no change to the overall height of the east side structure. The main difference comes from the wheat lights scaling down to be proportional with the west.

• You can see KU's updated description of the project here.

• And the full set of new renderings here.

Help Spread the Word:

Share the renderings with your friends by copy and pasting this link into your group texts or on social media.

2026 Football Schedule Released

KU dropped its full 2026 schedule yesterday. Here's what you need to know:

• The hard part: This schedule does KU no favors. One bye week, then nine straight games from October 3 through November 28. The opening stretch is brutal — Mizzou Week 2, then Arizona State in London.

• The big home game: Missouri comes to Lawrence for the first time since 2005. The Tigers have won four straight in this rivalry. Week 2 is circled.

• The big road stretch opens with road games at Utah and Kansas State. Both programs have new coaches, but those are still tough environments to play before Halloween.

• The home finale: BYU visits on November 21 — The Athletic has them at No. 9 in their early rankings. Could be a big one.

The full slate:

Share the schedule by copy and pasting this link into your group texts or on social media.

🏀 Watch Jacque Vaughn’s great line about Peterson’s bank shot in Vaughn’s postgame presser. (Instagram link to watch.. and give the KUHearings page a follow!)

🏀 See Vaughn’s full post-game presser after the Colorado win

🏀 Check out this 30 second clip of KU commit Tay Kinney scoring 33 points

🏀 And watch Self’s full press conference here, discussing his health and KU’s play