Nobody made a bigger comeback than the Arizona State Sun Devils and Kenny Dillingham in Week 5 of college football. The Sun Devils pulled off a crazy comeback in a 27-24 win against TCU last weekend. The win was so impressive that the AP Poll welcomed them back in the top 25 like they never left before. Just when things started to get better for the Sundevils, the program decided to double down on that with a $35 million investment plan.

On September 30, Arizona State Sun Devils’ On3 page took it to X to reveal the university’s grand $312 million renovation plan: “REPORT: ASU Capital Improvement Plan Approved, $312M Worth of Development Planned in the 2027 fiscal year, includes $100M DFA Renovations and a $35M New Football Practice Facility adjacent to the stadium with a turf field that will replace the Verde Dickie Dome.”

The Arizona Board of Regents has a committee called the University Governance and Operations Committee. They are responsible for approving such massive investment projects. Now, Arizona State University’s top project for 2027 is a brand-new football practice facility, with an estimated cost of $35 million. The facility will be built right next to Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, where construction crews will turn an existing parking lot into a turf field. This field will replace the old Verde Dickie Dome east of Rural Road.

The new facility is designed to make life easier for athletes, allowing them to walk directly from the stadium’s weight and meeting rooms straight to practice. It allows the team to practice all year, no matter the weather, which helps players improve faster and get ready for games. This also helps make ASU more attractive to top recruits, which is Kenny Dillingham and ASU’s number 1 priority right now.

Outside of football practice, ASU also plans to use the space as a “Fan Zone” for future events, giving fans a place to gather and engage during games or special occasions. This is part of an overall plan including other projects, with a total cost of $312 million. These could include new buildings, facility upgrades, and sustainability improvements to existing architecture. The university has tied this investment directly to its broader vision for the future, known as the ASU Enterprise Strategic Framework. That framework emphasizes student success, aiming to raise graduation rates above 85%, improve national recognition for academic quality and career outcomes, and increase ASU’s role in the local community.

It also sets the ambitious goal of pushing research expenditures beyond $1.5 billion annually by the end of the decade. All of these construction projects will be funded using system revenue bonds. That means ASU will borrow the money (kind of like taking out a loan through bonds), and then pay it back later using the university’s revenue.

However, the football-stadium project is currently in the planning stage. The whole design work is expected to start in March 2026, with construction set to begin in January 2027 and finish by February 2028. So far, ASU hasn’t announced any kinds of contracts or bids for the design or construction work, meaning those details are still being finalized.

Arizona State adds Morgan Town to their 2026 schedule

Arizona State has locked in Morgan State for its 2026 football slate, marking the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The football will be played in Tempe, and Morgan State will receive $600,000 for making the trip. The Bears, who play in the FCS as part of the MEAC, will get the chance to line up against an FBS opponent, while ASU adds a fresh non-conference matchup to its schedule.

Beyond that, ASU will face a tough Big 12 schedule, hosting Colorado, Baylor, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State, while hitting the road to play Arizona, BYU, Kansas, Texas Tech, and UCF. For Morgan State, the Sun Devils will be one of their biggest opponents of the season before they move on to face Towson two weeks later. Ultimately, the game offers both programs a chance to test themselves against new competition while setting the tone for their respective seasons.