The new capacity of Jones AT&T Stadium for Texas Tech football games has been established.
The listed capacity after the current stadium renovation will be 60,229, Tech senior associate athletics director Robert Giovannetti said Tuesday.
That’s down from 60,454, the listed capacity since 2010, but by less than what was initially expected. In May, Giovannetti said the loss of seats was expected to put the maximum crowd size in the range of 58,000 or 59,000. Explaining the revision this week, he said less seating area than expected was lost after construction of the tunnel connecting to the visiting teams’ new locker room at the northeast corner of the stadium.
Other factors in capacity being revised upward, he said, were pinning down a precise number of spectators who can occupy the party decks on each of the new south end zone building, as well as standing-room-only space.
A faction of Texas Tech fans has been hoping capacity would not fall below 60,000, believing that number to be psychologically important.
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Let the Texas Tech football battle begin for No. 6
Texas Tech started preseason practice Wednesday, with No. 6 for a defensive player being the only single-digit jersey number unoccupied on the roster. Tech coach Joey McGuire told the Avalanche-Journal in May that linebackers John Curry, Justin Horne and Mike Dingle want it. So does cornerback Macho Stevenson.
“There is a fight right now,” McGuire said Tuesday during the team’s media availability. “They’re all asking for that number 6. They know it’s open, and so we’ll see who comes out of camp with it.”
This week, Tech announced number changes for a handful of returning players: wide receiver Josh Kelly from No. 18 to No. 3, wide receiver L.J. Johnson from No. 21 to No. 18, cornerback JMaury Davis from No. 25 for No. 23, cornerback Miles Thompson from No. 30 for No. 37, edge player Amier Washington from No. 96 to No. 88 and edge player Kasen Long from No. 68 to No. 92.
New offensive tackle Jaxon Hughes, a senior transfer from South Carolina, will wear No. 68.
Texas Tech loses recent pledge to Baylor
Houston Cypress Falls linebacker Kaleb Burns, who committed to Tech on July 1, switched his allegiance to Baylor in an announcement he made Tuesday.
Burns, listed by his high school team at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, is the No. 78 prospect in Texas in the 247Sports composite index.
In the same ranking, Tech’s class is No. 46.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: New stadium capacity set for Texas Tech football
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
