Splashy improvements to Albertsons Stadium, Boise State venues? That’s the idea, AD says

Just over a week after it was announced that Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey would receive a new contract , the school’s fundraising star declared his plans Friday for the university’s future to be “epic.”

Dickey remained coy about the details of his new contract, including length and salary. Some contract details and approval from the Idaho State Board of Education are still required. Dickey has been the AD at Boise State since January 2021, when he arrived from Baylor University and signed a five-year deal through December 2025.

“Whatever we were yesterday, we’re different today, and it’s going to be different tomorrow,” Dickey said Friday at a press gathering. “We have to embrace that. My job is to relieve our staff and Bronco Nation of that pressure. I believe we can do epic here, and that’s going to be something as we move ahead and look to our future that is driving us forward.”

But what is “epic,” and what tangible things can Boise State fans look forward to as Dickey continues to lead the athletic department?

For one thing, fans know he will shine at raising money. The athletic department brought in more than $70 million in donations and commitments the past three fiscal years. The department raised $20.8 million in fiscal year 2024, the third consecutive fiscal year that Boise State surpassed $20 million, following record-setting amounts in FY 2022 ($24.1 million) and FY 2023 ($26.1 million).

Planned construction for The Blue

Dickey’s grand vision of “epic” involves not just football but all 18 of Boise State’s athletic programs to be selected as preseason favorites for conference championships.

“I am responsible for 350-plus student-athletes in Bronco Nation,” Dickey said. “I want to be a lead in every sport. I want to get to a place where every sport is competing for a championship year in and year out.”

The university is close to beginning work on the North End Zone Project . According to previous Idaho Statesman reporting , the project will add approximately 1,600 seats and feature 12 field-level suites, 44 loge boxes, 148 ledge seats and 882 club seats, with all-inclusive food and beverage amenities on game days.

Construction of the project, including a nutrition center for student-athletes, is expected to begin in early 2025 and be finished by the 2026 football season.

Dickey also said the East Side Renovation Project , which would completely remodel that portion of Albertsons Stadium, with an expanded concourse and upgraded amenities, remains on his mind, but no plans are in place.

A new sound system is being added ahead of the upcoming season, Dickey said. The home football opener isn’t until Sept. 21. That improvement comes after new LED lights were installed last year and a new video board, the largest in the Mountain West, made its debut.

Potential improvements to ExtraMile Arena

Dickey acknowledged Friday that “something has to be done” with ExtraMile Arena, where the gymnastics team and men’s and women’s basketball teams compete, and he added that the school plans to move volleyball games there as well.

The arena opened in 1982 as BSU Pavilion and then became Taco Bell Arena. It has not hosted NCAA Tournament games since 2018, and many would say it needs big upgrades.

“We have to create more premium space,” Dickey said. “We have to create a club space — not necessarily suites; I’m not big on suites as much — but loge boxes and those types of things.”

Dickey didn’t outline specifics for ExtraMile Arena, but envisions similar improvements to what’s being done with the North End Zone Project.

New locker rooms and lounges have also recently been built for the beach volleyball and women’s golf teams — previously, neither team had its own locker room.

Basketball releases nonconference schedule

Boise State men’s basketball released its nonconference schedule Thursday morning.

The Broncos kick off their season against Oakland at ExtraMile Arena on Nov. 6. Oakland is coming off a season in which it made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a 14 seed, with an epic upset of Kentucky in the first round before a loss to Final Four team N.C. State.

Boise State will also host another 2024 NCAA Tournament team in Clemson on Nov. 17. Clemson made it to the Elite Eight as a 6 seed and finished last season ranked No. 14 in the nation. The matchup is the back half of a home-and-home series, with Clemson winning last year in South Carolina by an 85-68 score.

The Broncos will spend the days before Thanksgiving at the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic . Boise State starts that tourney on Nov. 24 against Hampton.

Another highlight is a game against Saint Mary’s for the second straight year in Idaho Falls.

Here is the full nonconference schedule:

Nov. 6 - vs. Oakland (ExtraMile Arena)

Nov. 9 - at San Francisco

Nov. 12 - vs. Corban (ExtraMile Arena)

Nov. 17 - vs. Clemson (ExtraMile Arena)

Nov. 24 - vs. Hampton (Grand Cayman)

Nov. 25 - vs. South Dakota State/Duquesne (Grand Cayman)

Nov. 26 - vs. TBD (Grand Cayman)

Dec. 3 - vs. Utah Tech (ExtraMile Arena)

Dec. 7 - vs. Washington State (Idaho Central Arena)

Dec. 14 - vs. Saint Mary’s (Mountain America Center, Idaho Falls)

Dec. 17 - vs. Texas Southern (ExtraMile Arena)