USF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins Has ‘Not A Second To Waste’ As Concrete Pours
USF CEO of Athletics, Rob Higgins, expresses excitement over transformative athletic facility projects, totaling over $400 million and driven by his "servant leadership" philosophy. Key developments include a new 35,000-seat campus stadium, slated to open in 2027 and feature the Sunshine State's longest rooftop bar. Adjacent to it, the 150,000 square foot TGH Center for Athletic Excellence will support all student-athletes and house the football program. Other upgrades include a new beach volleyball facility and Yuengling Center renovations.
Rob Higgins stood at the podium in front of a media gathering on the morning of August 17 and expressed how he “gets chills” thinking about projects that continue to literally transform the landscape outside the office from which he oversees the University of South Florida’s athletic interests.
Though getting chills, as opposed to a saturating sweat, might seem rather remarkable given the excruciating and unrelenting heat that has hovered over the Tampa Bay region this summer, Higgins has sufficient reason to be excited over the progress being made at USF. After all, he not only heads the athletic department as its CEO, but also graduated from the university. His interest in the school has roots that stretch to his youth when, speaking of sweat, he literally cleaned up after the basketball team.
Frankly, that was a time in Higgins’ life that played no small part in adopting the core principles he abides by today in his leadership capacity.
“We are always going to lead from the front and we’re always going to eat last,” said the 47-year-old Tampa native, who on September 9 will celebrate one year since his hiring, though he did not roll up his sleeves until October 1. “It’s a servant leadership that I learned as an eight-year-old kid cleaning the floors, doing the laundry, cleaning the locker room.”
Though Higgins did not play intercollegiate athletics at USF, he is doing his darndest to raise the bar for those who do today and will tomorrow.
“These amazing young men and women have all dreamed of playing college athletics,” said the former leader of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. “They worked their butts off to get to this level. They have put a lot of time, energy and effort into training, practicing. Now, we as a team need to make sure we are meeting and exceeding those dreams. That’s truly what we’re focused on.”
Such focus is evident in the hustle and bustle of construction workers and a seemingly endless parade of equipment moving the figurative mountains Higgins and his crew are ascending.
Higgins provided updates on USF’s football stadium, a venue that will seat 35,000 and for which the university’s board of trustees approved nearly $350 million in April 2025, and other projects that will account for a total tab north of $400 million. Speaking of tabs, the new home to the football program as well as what has been a very successful women’s lacrosse program, will feature what is billed as the Sunshine State’s longest rooftop bar. He noted the vantage point will allow sweeping views of the campus, including the many new features within the university’s athletic district. Perhaps that is why Higgins is experiencing the chills.
“We’re focused on making sure our new stadium is a world-class experience for all involved,” said Higgins, noting that discussions on naming rights have been part of the daily agenda. “We’re making tremendous progress on the construction. Whether it’s the steel (work) being finished, the concrete being poured for the rooftop bar, or a lot of the framing being complete with the TGH Center for Athletic Excellence, we're really excited with how much progress is being made.”
The TGH Center for Athletic Excellence -- the acronym stands for Tampa General Hospital, which in 2025 committed $162 million to benefit USF Health – will be a 150,000 square foot facility connected to the stadium. It will support all student-athletes and serve as the football program’s new home as it moves from the adjacent Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center, which for many years has served as the hub for most everything pertaining to USF athletics.
“It continues to be on time in terms of our construction,” said Higgins.
That time is coming quickly. September 4, 2027 is circled on the calendar for when the pigskin is placed on a tee and a new era for USF athletics kicks off. Louisville will be part of the historic day for the Bulls in a game that was initially scheduled to be the 2027 season opener. Instead, Higgins announced what was a September 25 date at Northern Illinois has been moved to August 28. Regardless, excitement is sure to fill the atmosphere.
Tennis courts have been moved, the second season of beach volleyball will take place on campus and the Yuengling Center, home to men’s and women’s hoops, will get a fresh exterior coat in a color consistent with the university’s other athletic facilities.
Higgins noted that more than 200 truckloads of dirt were removed in a roughly two-week period in preparation for the arrival of sand for the new six-court beach volleyball facility. The team, which opened its inaugural season in February, practiced about 10 miles south of campus and played its home games on Clearwater Beach, across Tampa Bay and about 35 miles from the university. New coach Jo Kremer, a three-time national champ as a player at USC, leads the program.
“The beach volleyball facility is making great progress and we’re looking forward to that being completed probably toward the end of next month,” said Higgins, in looking forward to late September.
It is all part of what will be a mostly new and fresh look for the university’s athletic facilities.
“You sense all of the energy and excitement not only on campus, but around the community with how pumped everybody is to finally have our own collective home here,” said Higgins. “It’s truly transformative and in so many different ways. It can’t get here soon enough.”
Higgins noted a sign above the entrance to the football locker room reads, “Consistency dictates greatness.” The message might as well serve as the athletic department’s mission statement under Higgins, whose hires include CFO Derrick Brooks, men’s basketball coach Chris Mack, women’s basketball coach Kristy Curry and Kremer. He understands the critical nature of doing things right today so that USF athletics flourishes tomorrow.
“We’re in this really pivotal moment in the history of not only the athletic program, but also in college athletics,” he said. “So, there’s truly not a second to waste. We're going to work around the clock to be positioned as best as we possibly can. Nobody outside of our team, our student-athletes and our coaching staff could possibly be more invested right now.”
With respect to the calendar, much of the department’s time and energy is directed to football. The Bulls’ September 5 opener against visiting FIU is on the immediate horizon. It will lift the curtain on the program’s 30th season while closing it on three decades of paying rent at Tampa Stadium (inaugural 1997 season and first couple games of 1998) and Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and about 10 miles southwest of campus. While games have yet to be played, the man in charge of the program, Brian Hartline, has been everything Higgins had hoped he would be.
“Every single day that has gone by, he’s revalidated just how incredible he was throughout the search process,” he said.
With respect to the aforementioned sign above the locker room entrance, Higgins has witnessed how Hartline has been unwavering in his dedication and commitment to the consistency with which he has led the football program.
“When I look at that sign, I see just how he embodies that in every rep of every drill, in every film session, every team meeting, his interactions, his incredible relationships with the players,” said Higgins. “We cannot wait for the season to get underway.”
There is plenty more for which Higgins and his team cannot wait.