COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University is raising money for a $150 million renovation of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, a project athletics officials say reflects both the needs of the football program and the changing financial landscape of college sports.
The project would include a new and relocated weight room, a new entrance, additional meeting spaces, a revamped locker room and team room, and other upgrades.
Dan Cloran, deputy director of athletics at Ohio State University, is leading fundraising efforts for the project. He said parts of the facility still have the same footprint they had in 1986, even as the program has grown.
“Our players are getting bigger, the staff is getting larger, and there’s some pieces of the facility that are still the same footprint that they were in 1986,” Cloran said.
Cloran called the renovation “probably a 10-year overdue project,” saying that the athletics department has completed other projects for Olympic sports, the Schottenstein Center, Cavalli, lacrosse, tennis and other areas.
“It’s football’s turn to get some support,” Cloran said.
The project comes as Ohio State and other Power Four schools are asking donors to support multiple priorities, including facilities, name, image and likeness efforts, and large coaching salaries. Cloran said communication with donors is important as the department makes those requests.
“So we haven’t overburdened our donors over the years because we’ve communicated with them and they’ve communicated back to us and say, now’s not the time, or now is the time,” Cloran said.
According to the NCAAdonor contributions are the second-largest revenue source for Power Four schools behind media rights. Facilities and coaches’ salaries each make up about 19% of athletic department spending, according to the figures cited in the report.
Because 2025 was the first season schools could pay players directly, current data on how much schools are spending on their rosters is not yet available.
Jim Strode, a sports administration professor at Ohio University and associate dean of the business school, said a project of this size shows how Power Four schools with strong facilities are positioned differently than others.
“Places like Ohio State that have amazing facilities right now and are continuing to build new facilities, and of course, revamping their facilities are better positioned than others that may not have those facilities because they can be less focused on generating revenue for those and more focused on generating revenue for their direct payments to athletes,” Strode said.
Cloran said Ohio State is trying to adapt to the new era of college sports while maintaining a college atmosphere.
“There’s a fine line between making it feel NFL versus you got to keep the college experience,” Cloran said.
Strode said college sports are becoming more businesslike and more transactional, which can also increase pressure from fans.
“It’s becoming more of a business,” Strode said. “It is more transactional. It also has the unintended consequence, too, of creating even more pressure from a fan base.”
Cloran said the renovations are about the future of Ohio State football and its role in supporting the broader athletics department.
“Football is what drives our budgets within the athletic department,” Cloran said. “So we have to give our athletes the best. And our donors know that.”
The fundraising campaign is expected to last through next fall. Ohio State hopes to break ground in late 2027 and complete the project by the end of 2028.
Source: spectrumnews1.com
