UNIVERSITY PARK \u2014 The summer of 2025 marks a changing of the guard at SMU.<\/p>\n
With former president R. Gerald Turner and athletic director Rick Hart leaving their posts, new president Jay Hartzell and athletic director Damon Evans<\/a> have taken over.<\/p>\n In this new era of SMU<\/a> athletics, the new leadership has begun assessing where the Mustang athletic department can improve most \u2014 and that includes physical changes to its facilities.<\/p>\n Evans has only been on campus for less than three months, but he already has a vision for improvements he wanted to make to SMU\u2019s athletic facilities.<\/p>\n Sports Roundup<\/p>\n \u201cThis place needs to be the Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons,\u201d Evans said in an exclusive interview with The Dallas Morning News<\/a> on Monday. \u201cThat\u2019s just how I feel about it, and that\u2019s what I\u2019ll strive to do for our fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n Crews continue to work on SMU\u2019s Ford Stadium, which has undergone a number of renovations in the last year. The Garry Weber End Zone Complex opened early last season<\/a>, a $100 million, 192,500-square-foot addition to the south side of Ford Stadium that includes additional seating, dining and entertainment spaces and team facilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s first-class, and that\u2019s what the expectation is here, and that\u2019s what we need to provide our fan base,\u201d Evans said of the Weber End Zone Complex.<\/p>\n SMU has also spent all summer converting the stadium\u2019s field from turf to natural grass<\/a> thanks to a $2.5 million gift from the Scharbauer family. The grass is expected to be ready ahead of SMU\u2019s first game on Aug. 30 against East Texas A&M.<\/p>\n But Evans said he sees more potential for upgrades.<\/p>\n \u201cI love our stadium. I think it\u2019s an unbelievable stadium. But I\u2019m not gonna sit here and mince words,\u201d he said. \u201cDo we need some upgrades to the stadium in the future? Yeah, we do. We\u2019ve got to take a hard look and assess what\u2019s most appropriate for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Evans said the Weber End Zone Complex has raised the standard for premium seating at Ford Stadium and that SMU is exploring new premium seating options. <\/p>\n \u201cYou want to create this experience people want to come back to. I want to create \u2018FOMO\u2019 here. This is the place to be and be seen,\u201d he said. \u201cIn how we\u2019re set up in a small, quaint, boutique stadium, I want it to be first-rate from a customer-service perspective. I want it to be first-rate from a food perspective. I want it to be first-rate from an amenities perspective. I want when you walk into Ford Stadium for you to be blown away.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about Moody Coliseum, which had its last major renovation in December 2013, Evans said he\u2019s assessing all necessary changes to facilities. But he did not explicitly say whether upgrades to Moody are a top priority.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you sit back and wait too long, before you know it, facilities can become old and tired looking,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want that to happen to us. I don\u2019t want our student athletes and our coaches to feel like they don\u2019t have top-notch facilities or resources.\u201d<\/p>\n On X\/Twitter: @Lassimak<\/a><\/p>\n Why Vince Vaughn crashed an SMU basketball camp on Tuesday<\/a>SMU football adds 3 new staff members, including former player Demerick Gary<\/a><\/p>\n Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n