🚜 This might be the best look at KU’s new stadium yet

• 🏈 Virtual look at the new KU football stadium

• 📝 Quick Links: Must-see view from outside the Booth

• 🔒🏀 KU Hoops roster chatter.. for this year

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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.

New KU Stadium: Glorious to View

It’s real. And my confidence is growing that KU is about to pull off something spectacular with David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

It truly is hard to believe pics like the one below.. but I think it’s time to start believing it.

And the more I talk to people, the more I realize that the video game version (EA Sports’ College Football 26, released today) of KU’s new football stadium actually gives us a solid look at what to expect inside The New Booth.

Not everything matches KU’s real-life plans. But I’m Hearing KU worked with EA Sports to help get the stadium looking realistic. So it’s not a stretch to treat this like a virtual walkthrough of what’s coming.

Here’s your guided tour of what’s accurate, what’s missing, and what fans should expect in real life.

The West Side (Phase 1)

✅ I’m Hearing EASports nailed the major Phase 1 pieces.

✅ One detail that stands out: The curved heights (or “scalloping”) of the lights on both the west and east sides. Check out the almost shell-like bend to the lights around the stadium.

🔴 I’m Hearing the location of the literal light bulbs will be closer to the top of the pole in real life. So the the extended metal arms poking out in the game won’t exist, or be as prominent.

🟡 I’m Hearing the Ring of Honor will go across the gray sections below the upper deck (yellow arrows). It’s not visible in the game, but you’ll see it soon in real life.

🟠 It’s harder to see, but I’m Hearing the luxury seating area behind glass will look and feel like more of a high-end stadium patio and social space. It’s this area from KU’s original renderings below (orange arrows).

The East Side (Phase 2)

✅ Overall layout appears pretty close to KU’s current Phase 2 plan, though I’m told the details are still getting finalized..

🤔 While the two-tier structure appears to be the direction the East Side is heading, I do think it’ll be built to easily support added capacity and luxury seating. So even if it’s not part of Phase 2, I do think KU has additional future plans if the things go well for the program

🟠 I’m Hearing KU is actually considering lowering the height of the lights on the east side because the those stands are shorter. KU will get a feel for how this is gonna look and might lower them a bit to better balance the visual symmetry.

🔴 It’s hard to see from this angle, but there’s a gap between the east sideline and stands that is much larger in the game than it’ll be in real life.

✅ Again, the scalloped light structure really shines from this angle. That part’s spot on (and is gonna look really cool).

The Hill Side

✅ You can really get a feel for the size of the scoreboard in these images, along with the look of the Anderson Family Football Complex perched over the field. Also, I’m happy to remind anyone and everyone that the Jayhawks now have a tunnel they’ll run onto the field out of.

🟠 I’m Hearing the tunnel will be a different color and incorporate some lighting to help make it pop more than you see in the game.

🔴 This is pretty minor, but the metal on the outside of the video board is brighter than it shows in the game.

🟡 And here’s a fun one, the Anderson Family Football Complex is built to support a party deck on top of it (yellow arrow). You can even see it in some of the renderings on KU’s website. There is no party deck or rooftop that’s currently being built in… but I believe it could be a part of KU’s future plans.

One more thing

And this isn’t something you can tell in the game, but it is going to make a difference for KU fans on Saturdays.

I found these images on one of KU football’s season ticket pages that show just how much closer the seats are to the action. I know these may be hard to read. You can click the images to get a better look, but I’ll also summarize below.

• The North End zone seats:

  • Front row moves from 94 ft —> 42 ft away. The seats are also elevated 8 feet off the ground now.

  • The first row of the second tier is now closer (90 ft) than the old very first row (94 ft).

  • The top row moves from 196 ft —> 168 ft.

• The West Side seats are a little more nuanced with the tiers, but…

  • The front row is now elevated 4 ft off the ground and 5 ft closer to the field (43 ft away).

  • The upper tier appears to start 15 ft closer than it used to.

We’ve got a premium experience headed our way.

KU is doing its part. Soon it’ll be our turn to Pack The Booth.

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Here are more views of the New Booth that I’ve loved seeing.

First, watch Lance brag about the stadium renovations. “Who’s putting that much money into football across the country right now other than Kansas?”

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