News & Insights
Photo courtesy of: Greg Land
Public-private partnership sought for Vaught-Hemingway Stadium upgrades, mixed-use entertainment project
OXFORD, Miss. — December 11, 2025. The University of Mississippi has formally released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a development team to deliver a transformative, multi-asset public-private partnership development that will reshape the areas around Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the surrounding campus edge. The project combines a significant modernization of the stadium itself—including major premium seating expansion, student section enhancements, and new hospitality environments—along with the creation of a mixed-use athletics and entertainment district to activate the area year-round. The University has engaged B&D as the development advisor for this initiative.
The RFP invites qualified developers to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain both components through one or more long-term ground leases. On the stadium side, planned upgrades include expanded suites and flexible premium spaces, increased student seating, and improvements that strengthen circulation, fan amenities and experiences. Surrounding these upgrades, the district development program includes a full-service luxury condotel with roughly 100 hotel keys and 30 condominium units, 35,000 square feet of retail and dining, a new plaza and public realm enhancements—most notably, the preservation and elevation of the iconic Walk of Champions—and modernized athletics offices relocated within the development footprint.
Together, the stadium improvements and the district create a unified vision for a new “front door” to Ole Miss Athletics, integrating hospitality, entertainment, donor engagement, and premium fan and student amenities. The University highlights the opportunity for proposals that connect these elements through thoughtful phasing, ensuring the stadium modernization and district development reinforce each other while maintaining a net-neutral parking impact and accommodating future stadium expansion.
Developers have until February 5, 2026 to submit proposals, with interviews, best-value evaluations, and final negotiations scheduled through spring 2026.
Click HERE for the full RFP, submission instructions, and additional project details.
