How Memphis football stadium renovation money 'raised some eyebrows' for conference realignment

University of Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch admitted there were a few high-fives flying around outside his office last month.

Once the city received State General Assembly approval for $350 million to go toward a sports stadiums initiative, Tigers athletic administrators breathed a bit of a sigh of relief. That’s because it means plans for a hefty renovation on Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium are officially set to move forward.

But the tenor changed somewhat quickly after the initial celebration.

“It was kind of like you get a win and you appreciate it. But, then, it’s like, ‘OK, what’s the next thing?’ said Veatch. “ ‘How do we take advantage of this and how do we message it to the right people?’ (But) it absolutely was a big shot in the arm.”

Those plans have the potential to be “transformational,” according to Veatch, who recently addressed a variety of topics during an interview with The Commercial Appeal. They included conference realignment, the timeline for stadium renovations and updates on other university facilities projects.

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CA: You crossed a major hurdle recently. Are there still hurdles left?

Veatch: Significant hurdles? It’s a go. We’re going to do it. It’s just a matter of exactly what the budget looks like and the design details that go into it.

CA: It seems like a lot of the legwork for this was done early on and a lot of it may have even overlapped. Is that how these kinds of things work now?

Veatch: Yeah, it used to be, in the old days, you’d design something for a year, then you’d fundraise until you had it all raised, then you would put it out to bid. Now, it’s like all those things sort of happen together at once. A lot it has to do with the construction environment and what things actually cost in that time frame. Because it has changed dramatically. And you have to pull together all the design elements, almost overlapping all that.

CA: Do you have an expectation for what they’re going to allocate and when that’s going to happen? Is there a firm deadline for either?

Veatch: I’m sure that will get here. We’re not at a point where that has to happen right now. That’s a decision for the mayor, and I would let him speak to that. I’m confident we’re going to do this right. The expectation we’ve all seen and joined together on, if we’re gonna do this, we need to do it right. It needs to be first-class. It needs to look like an Autonomy 5 type of football stadium. That’s the expectation in the end.

CA: When you got to Memphis, did you immediately recognize a need to address the stadium?

Veatch: I wouldn’t be the first AD here that would walk into (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium) and say, "Hey, we need to invest. We need to bring this up to today’s standards." That was an obvious goal. But I would say it accelerated with conference realignment. It was probably six months, maybe nine months before we unveiled our plans (in May 2022) that it became really apparent that, in order for us to potentially elevate, we needed to invest and look like we belonged. That’s when we came together to develop that.

CA: Speaking of conference realignment, is there an update on that?

Veatch: There are always conversations going on in the background. With me, the president, all of us are in that college athletics administrative universe. We’re always talking about options and things that are happening. But it’s always very, very difficult to predict, because there are so many factors and so many moving parts and decision makers involved. But I still genuinely continue to feel very good about who we are, where we’re positioned, all the things we can provide.

CA: Did news of the budget approval genuinely move the needle with regard to conference realignment?

Veatch: Absolutely. It got a lot of buzz. No question. Because there’s a difference between talking about a vision and, 'Hey, the money is there and it is happening and people in our city and our state recognize the importance of it and they’re willing to invest.' That sends a huge message about not only what we can be, but the fact that we have the capacity and the passion and all that here to compete at that level. They want to know that if they’re going to get a partner involved, particularly in the sport of football, that it can really be competitive. Not only long-term, but in the near term. I think that was a big thing. It raised some eyebrows. Like, 'Hey, (Memphis is) serious. They’re doing everything they can.'

CA: The Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation is not just for the school and the football program, is it?

Veatch: No, we really want to impact, not only how we look, but the experience for fans. That certainly goes for the folks helping from a financial standpoint with suites and club seats and all the different premium amenities. But, also, for every fan. We want to touch concessions and restrooms. We want to really impact the overall experience in the venue. I really am excited about the halo piece around the stadium. That’s a really unique aspect of the Liberty Bowl, what it has traditionally been. That space that a lot of stadiums now would love or are going back to wishing they would have designed in – that type of real estate.

CA: The renovations at FedExForum, how is that going to impact the Memphis men’s basketball team?

Veatch: I think it will be very positive. Now, that’s going to be led by the Grizzlies and their folks there, as it should be. We’ve had some conversations conceptually about some of the things they’re thinking. But certainly no details. They’re playing basketball games and they’re selling all the opportunities in there and they do it really well. So, that will align well in the end for us. It’s just down the road a little bit compared to where we are at with the (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium).

CA: Those aren't the only facility projects on the horizon, are they?

Veatch: There are still some big things we need to accomplish. The big ones are the Student Athlete Success Center and the housing piece. My understanding from our partners on campus, there should be an RFP (request for proposal) going out this summer for the housing. So, ideally, we’d be able to break ground − I don’t know for sure − but, say, a year, year-and-a-half from now. And we’d like to get to a point where we can move the Student Athlete Success Center along a similar timeframe. But that will all depend on funding, and we’ve shifted so much of that to (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium) that it’s slowed down a bit. It’s still a high priority.

CA: And the Leftwich Tennis Center is nearing completion?

Veatch: That’s my understanding. I’ve heard later this summer, early fall we should be in there and rolling. All projects you hear about have delays and struggles. It’s amazing when you go through it, it never seems like it’s done fast enough. But when you get in there, you forget about all that other stuff.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.