Uni Watch Exclusive! Big changes possibly afoot for Notre Dame: A little birdie from South Bend, who I happen to trust, checked in last night with some interesting news about potentially big doings in the land of the golden dome. Here’s what the birdie had to say:
I don’t have all the details yet, but it appears that Notre Dame will announce major renovations and changes to Notre Dame Stadium. In May, the University officially announced a study into the feasibility of creating a multi-use stadium facility. The results of the study and the next steps will apparently be announced next month. My contacts who’ve seen some of the possibilities are very impressed. It appears that the stadium will add field turf, a jumbotron of some type, and some luxury seating and student-use areas beyond football.
The Notre Dame old guard are losing their minds over the possibility of a jumbotron and plastic field. The school permanently destroyed the stadium in 1996-97, when they built the modified version around the historic stadium. The modified version is trashy modern and really doesn’t represent the university well. They need to get this right, or else they will lose a ton of support forever.
Also: Notre Dame signed a 10-year deal with Adidas in 2005, and rumors are rampant that school officials met with Adidas on Tuesday to tell them that the university will not be continuing the relationship. I have not confirmed if that means immediate termination or non-renewal. Nike is mentioned as the likely replacement.
None of this is confirmed yet, so take that for what it’s worth.
