USF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins Has ‘Not A Second To Waste’ As Concrete Pours

BusinessSportsMoneyUSF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins Has ‘Not A Second To Waste’ As Concrete PoursByTom Layberger,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about college football and sports in the Tampa Bay region.Follow AuthorAug 23, 2026, 10:20pm EDTSummaryUSF 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.Show More Rob Higgins at a USF athletics press conference in Tampa on August 17, 2026. Tom LaybergerRob 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,”...