Oklahoma Sooners athletics director Roger Denny signals a potential shift in construction plans, addressing fan concerns over reduced seating capacity and luxury upgrades ahead of the $450 million overhaul
Roger Denny sat down with SoonerScoop recently to talk about the planned renovations to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and it’s clear he’s heard the fan reaction loud and clear.
The upgrades, originally announced in November 2025, will reduce the stadium’s current capacity of 80,126 by roughly 7,000 general admission seats to about 73,126. The $450 million project will add 47 suites, 64 loge boxes, and about 4,000 new club seats.
Denny inherited this project when he was hired as athletic director in January 2026, and construction is expected to begin after the 2027 season and be completed by the start of the 2029 season.
Denny didn’t come out and say the plans are changing, but he definitely left the door open.
“I’ve certainly heard the takes from our fans about what they do and don’t like, and we’re evaluating that,” Denny told SoonerScoop. “We’re trying to figure out ways that we can keep the intent and the benefits of that project and solve some of the issues that folks have raised objections to. So we’re working through that, and working through phasing of the project as well."
That’s important. Fans have been pretty vocal about not liking the reduced capacity and the focus on luxury suites that could price out the average fan.
Denny seems to be listening.
He also talked about wanting to make improvements more regularly instead of big renovations every decade or two.
“I’ve talked openly: while I love the idea that we’re doing this renovation, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do to wait every 10 or 20 years to do a nine-figure renovation to the stadium. We want to do stuff in there every single year that changes the fan experience. And so as we go into this big project, it’s really important for us to find ways to get that flywheel spinning and generate more revenue that we can then reinvest in other areas of the stadium.”
That makes sense. Modern stadiums need constant updates to keep fans happy and revenue coming in. Denny wants to create a system where improvements happen more regularly.
He also touched on how fan expectations have changed since COVID.
“That’s almost all of the discussion,” Denny said. “And part of it is, it’s not just capacity. Coming out of COVID, one of the things that you saw in sports facilities of every type is just the desire to have a little bit more square footage per fan. So identifying ways that we can hit those marks on square footage and number of folks that we’re putting into club spaces, number of folks in suites. The fan appetite changes — folks like to have more gathering spaces now that aren’t necessarily attached to tickets. So all of that’s a factor.”
There has been a belief among many for years that OU has the fan support to fill a stadium with 100K+ fans every week, but that day will likely never come. OU's current plans are in align with what more modern stadiums are moving to, with a focus on suites and not on overall attendance.
Denny also mentioned the practical side of the project.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got all the utilities lined up to get over there,” Denny said. “We’ve got some things that operationally are important for us — SoonerVision in particular — that, before we really get into major construction on that west side, we’ve got to find a new home for those folks. So that’s the next step: really to get everything lined up so that when it does come time to really start major construction and start tearing down parts of that west side, we’ve got everything in place so we’re not interrupting our operations too much.”
Overall, Denny sounds like he’s trying to balance what fans want with what makes financial sense for the long term.
“Overall,” he said, “I think it’s amazing any time you get a chance to do a project of that scale in a football stadium where, however it ends up, you know you’re going to make multiple hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the fan experience. That’s something to get excited about.”
So Denny didn't say plans will change, but left the door open and can hear the dissatisfaction loud and clear. Fans have made their voices heard about the reduced capacity and the focus on luxury seating.
It’ll be interesting to see if any adjustments are made before construction begins after the 2027 season.
This renovation is a big deal for the program. Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium has been home to some incredible moments, and the hope is that these upgrades will help create new memories for years to come while also generating the revenue needed to keep the program competitive.
